Memorial Sanctuary
by rrreeves
Summary: .SakuNeji.Serious fic. She has avoided her friends for a long time and returns from a mission, wounded and exhausted. Of coincidence, or perhaps fate, Neji finds her. But what will she do about her feelings for Sasuke? And what will Neji do, and Sasuke?
1. Memories

Memorial Sanctuary  
Sakura X Neji

Summary: _Sakura has created a barrier between herself and her friends, and focuses solely on getting stronger. The only way of getting to Sasuke as fast as possible is to increase her strength, but after a particularly dangerous solo mission, she is gravely injured. And out of mere coincidence, or perhaps fate, Neji is the first one to find her. _

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Naruto.  
Let us start off with two memories from their old days!

* * *

Memories

* * *

Neji's father was dead. That was what they all told him. After giving him a gentle tap on his head, back or shoulder, each of them gave him some smiles of comfort. They spoke to him, not with him, and left before he could ask how and when, or even where his father had died. The young Neji was left behind, confused and unknowing. He was all alone, and whenever he tried asking people, the turned their back to him. They all looked like they knew something he didn't. Even so, despite being young and inexperienced, he held back the tears until he was all alone, in his very own hiding place.

At night, he sat there all alone, at the fountain in the tiny park-like garden that belonged to no one. The previous owner was dead, just like his father. It was shielded from view by the leafy, old trees there, and was barely lit by a single, old street-lamp nearby. That was the only place he ever allowed himself to cry. His father had told him to be strong, and he would be, always. But not there, not at the stone fountain. Though Neji held his face serious most of the time and grew up much too fast, that single place was where he could do whatever he wished to without being seen and observed.

Therefore, he cried.

Not out loud, of course. With his face as serious as always, frowning, he let his tears run freely as they came, not giving a sound at all. Sitting on the edge of the fountain and just listening was something he liked to do, and even though his father would never again be there with him, Neji would continue going there. That is, unless his fate kept him from doing so. Neji's frown deepened a little and he moved the back of his hand to his forehead, where his seal was; the seal given to him by the Main Family, the seal that made sure he and the other members of the Branch Family obeyed their wishes. To obey was his fate.

Neji looked up upon noticing a someone approach and quickly wiped away his tears and scanned the area. It didn't take long before he saw a little girl come closer. She seemed to be around his own age, only a little younger. And her hair was pink. Neji blinked and frowned a little at the unusual sight, but looked away as she walked even closer. His eyes were still red, surely. He was certain she could see that he had been crying.

The girl, whose face was partially hidden by her pink forelocks, sat down next to him on the edge of the fountain. When he turned to her she lowered her head and looked at her hands absently. Narrowing his eyes a little, he just watched as she folded and unfolded them. What was she doing? And why was she there? Then, to his great surprise, he saw a tear fall onto one of her hands, and she stopped moving them. It didn't take long before yet another tear fell. Though her lowered head made it hard for him to see her face at all, as her pink hair shielded it from his view, he was sure that she was crying. Neji lowered his head, as if to see her better, confused.

"What... What are you doing..." he asked, his question sounding more like an incomplete statement. At that, she raised her head very slowly until he could see one of her eyes through the pink curtain of hair. Upon seeing the single, yet large, emerald eye of hers, he pulled back as if burnt. She didn't seem to notice. If she did, she didn't pay too much attention to it; perhaps she was used to it.

"I... heard what happened... to your father..." she managed, little and weak in his eyes. Though they were about the same size, she still looked so much smaller than him. Neji calmed down a little and looked down.

"I see... Then... Why are you crying?" he asked, his question a little colder than he had wanted it to be.  
"I'm... helping you cry?" she replied, her words sounding as if she wondered if her reason was believable at all. Neji's eyes widened in surprise at her unexpected words. He didn't know her, and she didn't know him, yet she cried for him? With him?

At his sudden lack of words, she turned to him fully. Still expecting him to speak, she gazed at him with those green, clear orbs of hers with a guilty expression. She looked so sad. Neji blinked and frowned, not sure how to react, nor what to say. Though his eyes were still red, he didn't look away to hide them. She had already seen him crying, hadn't she?

"Thank... you?" he said, confused. At that, she raised her eyebrows. Then, after some long seconds, she smiled. A small, yet hearty and kind smile, during which she shut her eyes for only a brief moment. Neji once again pulled back a little, taken by surprise, but she once again didn't mind. She seemed to be genuinely happy that he had thanked her. Suddenly feeling better, Neji opened his mouth to say something, but found that he was at loss of words.

She was still smiling.

"You're... Hyuuga Neji, right? That's what the others told me..." she tried, lowering her head again, as if frightened. She was timid, or at least shy.

"Yes, I'm Neji. And you?" he replied silently. She once again turned to him, this time with a smile that was slightly smaller than her other one. Even so, it still looked kind in a way. Living with a clan in which most people were ninjas, Neji was not used to see people express their emotions the way she did. The smile of his father was the only one that had looked truly friendly. There were others possessing the ability of showing feelings like that?

"I'm Haruno Sakura." she said in a quiet voice. She looked worried now. Was there something wrong about that name? Or was something else bothering her?  
"...That name sounds nice." he said, far more solemn than he had intended to. At that, she flashed him a wide smile that erased all the traces of worry he had seen.

Then he suddenly realized how late it was. He was perfectly able to sneak in and out of the property of the Hyuuga clan, but what about her?  
"What are you doing outside this late?" he asked, and this time, a faint blush caressed her features and she averted her gaze.

"Um... When I heard what happened in the Hyuuga clan, and when my friend showed me a picture of you and your father when she explained, I felt really sorry for you. And then I got lost in thought... And then I got _really _lost, I think. I couldn't find the way home, and then I got here." she mumbled, and he barely heard what she said. That friend of hers probably knew Neji's name, at the very least. Was that why Sakura was so upset? Because her friend knew about him and that he had lost his father? Things like that happened all the time, didn't she know that? Neji looked down for a minute, thinking. Perhaps her parents tried to protect her? There was a possibility that they told her that ninjas died all the time, yes, but judging from her reaction to this particular death, perhaps she had never heard anything beyond that; Perhaps she had never heard who died, how they died, and who were left behind.

Ninjas died. That was the fact. However, no one told her how, how often, nor who died. Thus, hearing from a friend that Neji had lost his own father must have shocked her. Neji rose to his feet and turned to her, then reached out his arm.

"I can take you home if you want to. Your parents... They're probably worried." Neji suggested, watching Sakura as she stared at him with large, clear eyes. Then she grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her legs.

Sakura told him that she went to the ninja Academy. The two of them walked there, Sakura following him wherever he went. He even turned wrong at one point, on purpose, just to check if she trusted him enough to follow. She did. One they got to the Academy, she knew the way back to her house. Despite that, he offered to join her. Sakura accepted with a timid smile and a nod, then started running, with Neji following her. Taking her sudden running as a challenge, he moved up next to her and a little past her, smirking confidently. However, as he heard her laugh cheerfully, he turned around only to see that she turned in another direction.

Their little chasing game came to an end as they got to her home. Sakura, now smiling kindly, less shy than before, thanked him and said goodbye. She didn't go inside until after he left. That was smart; if she hadn't waited for him to leave first, he would probably have had to watch her parents rejoicing upon seeing their daughter again. He wouldn't have been able to hold back his tears that way. Was her father as good-hearted as his used to be? Neji wasn't sure. And he wasn't planning to find out.

At the time being, he would have to recover his strength and live up to his father's expectations.

* * *

Sakura, who was not even a genin yet, relaxed at the training grounds. Or, that was what she had _planned_ to do. However, seeing as Sasuke was there, training like she had never seen him train before, she was completely unable to relax at all. She moved a hand to her forelocks to make sure they hid her forehead. If it would have been smaller, would Sasuke have noticed her? More importantly, did he notice her now? Sure, he had seen that she was there, but he didn't pay any particular attention. He concentrated solely on his training. Sakura vaguely wondered if it was because she was watching, or if he ignored her altogether. The latter wouldn't surprise her, but she wouldn't give up that easily.

"Hello there, Forehead-Girl!" someone said, her voice painfully familiar. Ino. No; _Ino-Pig._

Still on her stomach on the ground, she turned her head to see her ex-best friend. Because of their feelings for Sasuke, their friendship had been put aside. They weren't the only ones fighting for him, though. This time, however, she had obviously managed to ally with several other girls from her grade. And Sakura was alone.

_Oh no._

After a long moment of just staring at the small crowd of girls behind Ino, Sakura got to her feet and ran away as fast as she could. Moving quickly past where Sasuke was training, she looked over her shoulder. The others followed her; that had never happened before. Did they think she was too close to Sasuke? Sakura glanced in Sasuke's direction and nearly tripped upon seeing that he looked back at her. Quickly regaining her balance, she looked ahead. Her vision was blurred as a result of her pink forelocks. Sakura frowned a little; She shouldn't have left her hair ribbon at home.

Hearing the others approach, she made a sudden move to her left and hid behind a leafy bush. Knitting her eyebrows in concentration, Sakura tried to remember what they had learned in class. She slowly made some hand seals and hid her chakra as well as she could. Then she shut her eyes. Hearing the others pass, one by one, she held her breath. Once they all passed, she opened her eyes and emerged from her hiding place.

There was no way she could go back and watch Sasuke again. At least not today; that would be asking for trouble.

Thus, with a loud sigh, she walked in a random direction. With her head lowered, her thoughts started to wander in a world of their own, and she didn't see where she was going. Then, in the corner of an eye, she saw a kunai coming out of nowhere. It flew through the air in her direction. Sakura, whose eyes widened in shock upon seeing it coming, stepped aside abruptly to get out of its way. In the process, she tripped over a tree root at her feet and fell to the ground. The kunai hit the tree behind her.

"Ah-" Sakura managed, looking up at the kunai from her position on the ground. On her back, she turned to see the one who had thrown it.

As she couldn't see anyone, she got to her feet and seized the kunai with a hesitating hand. Then she moved a little closer to where it came from. Perhaps it was Sasuke training? Fighting sounds were heard; kunai against kunai. Small yells and determined, yet quiet war-cries broke the silence. Frightened, yet curious, she hid her chakra and moved closer. She caught a brief glimpse of the ones fighting, and stared in surprise.

One of them wore green clothes and frowned in determination. Though his eyebrows were rather thick and his eyes were abnormally round, his sparkling grin was dominant. The pose he made was disturbingly strange, yet funny. Grinning and frowning at the same time, he gave a thumbs-up before once again charging towards the two others who were still frighting. The other one, a girl, watched the third person spin around at an incredible speed. He moved so fast that Sakura could see his blue chakra. The girl watching him grit her teeth and found a summoning scroll. In only seconds, she summoned some weapons and threw them at the third opponent. Sakura had seen two of them at the Academy before, hadn't she? But not often, and she didn't know their names. Who was that third person, shrouded in his own chakra, moving so fast that she couldn't see who he was?

As the girl's weapons got to him, he increased his speed. With moves too fast for her to see, he deflected all of the weapons that came in his direction, They flew away from him in all directions, and once again Sakura moved out of the way. This time she remained on her feet, despite stumbling. However, as she gave a cry of surprise upon nearly falling, she caught their attention. The girl with the weapons and the boy with green clothes turned to her, alert. Sakura looked up just in time to see the third person stop his spinning jutsu, and stared in disbelief upon recognizing him.

That was Hyuuga Neji.

Taken aback by this sudden discovery, Sakura just stared at him. She still remembered their meeting at the fountain. How long ago was it? She met him some months ago, right after hearing his father was dead. Then, not much later, the massacre of the Uchiha clan took place. Gradually, she forgot that one meeting with Neji. Her pity for Sasuke was greater by far; he had no family left at all, except for his brother, the missing-nin. Even so, seeing Neji again here, of all places, took her aback. She didn't know what to do. He looked just as surprised as her. Sakura glanced at those he had fought. The girl looked at her with a suspicious frown, and the other watched her with an unreadable expression.

"S-Sorry for interrupting!" she exclaimed, suddenly aware that they waited for her to speak. Then, before they could reply, she jerked around and ran away as fast as she could, paying no heed to her surroundings. Her only intention was to get out of there. Why did she bump into so many?

"Wait!" she heard, but only ran faster. Once getting away from the shelter of the trees and bushes, she came to a halt again.

Ino's gang was waiting. Upon seeing Sakura, some of them leered. A few looked nervous and hesitant, but did as the others said and moved closer to her. Sakura once again jerked around and ran back into the forest. She was forced to stop as two small, yet strong hands took hold of her shoulders, and she looked up. Byakugan eyes looked back, light purple, nearly white, and most certainly still activated. Sakura, caught in his grip, looked back in surprise. He looked as though he was going to say something, but was interrupted as the others came for her.

"Eh? You caught her for us?" one asked. It was a boy, and though she couldn't remember his name, he was one of those who frightened her the most. He liked it when people were frightened by him; he had once said that it gave him a feeling of having power. Neji loosened his grip on her shoulders for some seconds, then let go and walked past her. Now standing between her and the gang that targeted her at the moment, Neji moved into a fighting position. The boy from before leered confidently.

"You wanna fight?" he taunted, looking at Neji. Sakura watched his back, which was partially covered by his long hair.

"Don't you have better things to do than to pick on those who are younger than you?" Neji asked, calm and collected. Sakura's eyes flashed to the others, and even though they were hidden from her view by her pink forelocks, she could see that most of them moved closer to him. Ino was no longer there. While some were occupied, others ran away. That left only the strongest ones.

"Attack!" the boy commanded, and they dashed forward. Sakura stepped back just in time to see Neji start using his abilities to create a shield; the same barrier-like jutsu he used only minutes ago to deflect the weapons. Sakura shut her eyes and moved her arms to protect herself from the wind that was created by his chakra pressure. Glancing in his direction, she saw the small gang exchange nervous words and watched in relief as the group dispersed. They ran away, frightened by Neji's spinning jutsu, not looking back as they escaped. He hadn't hurt even one of them. As his ability stopped, Neji watched the slightly younger boys disperse.

After they were out of sight, he turned back to Sakura, deactivating his Byakugan in the process. Expecting to see a frown, Sakura looked at him in wonder upon seeing that he observed her with something akin to worry.

"Did any of them hurt you? ...More importantly, did I hit you with any of Tenten's weapons back there?" he asked, stepping closer.  
"No, I'm not hurt. I managed to dodge the weapons..." she said, looking away. His eyes were too strong, too intense. He was a real ninja, wasn't he? One year older than her, and most likely a genin already.

"That's good..." he muttered, and looked down to wherever he thought she was looking.

"...Thank you for helping me out." she managed.  
"No. If you hadn't found us, you wouldn't have met those guys again, am I right?" he asked. She turned to him and nodded slowly.

"See? I should be the one apologizing." he said.  
"No! I should have known they were waiting! And besides, I disturbed you when you were training with that boy and... Tenten..?" Sakura said.

"Why do you insist so much on being at fault?" he countered, wondering. Sakura blinked in bewilderment and flashed a confused frown. That earned her a barely visible, yet rare smirk from him, including only one corner of his mouth.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
I shouldn't be writing this at all. Really. This chapter was just a prologue to the next ones, even though it looks like a oneshot.


	2. Comeback

Disclaimer: Me not owns Naruto.

Warning: A bit of an angsty chappie here for you... Please don't skip paragraphs? You may loose important stuff on your way... (-leers-)

* * *

Comeback

* * *

Completely absorbed in her work, Sakura had stopped seeing her friends altogether. She hadn't seen any of them in months. The only ones of significance were Tsunade and Shizune, who gave her missions. The two of them were the only ones who got to meet her, merely because they gave her assignments. They knew nothing about the fact that she distanced herself completely from everyone else. They thought she was the same as ever: The cheerful Sakura, whose strength had increased incredibly much these past years.

They were mistaken.

She was different now; Sakura was strong, yes, but not strong enough. Therefore, she had been taking increasingly difficult missions the last year. Solo-missions, of course, to avoid certain friends. Why? Because she couldn't face them. They were all outrunning her. She didn't want to bother Naruto in his training with Kakashi, Sai and Yamato. As for her other friends, Ino, Tenten and Hinata for instance, they would just keep her from training in one way or another, and she couldn't allow that. Training was a crucial matter in her daily life. If she couldn't train, Sasuke and Naruto would surely outrun her and leave her behind. Thus, she stayed alone and didn't even let the others know where she lived. She had a phone that she only answered if Tsunade or Shizune called. However, if her friends called, she hung up, strangely frightened by the thought of reuniting with them.

Sasuke... He was the main reason for her unstoppable working. Every time ANBU returned to Konoha with information about him, Team 7 and a few others were sent after him. And every time they got there, he was gone. Sakura didn't want to wait for useless opportunities like that; she wanted to be there when they found him. A long time had passed since the last time they went after him. Therefore, Sakura had wanted to join ANBU herself.

And she did.

She advanced from genin to chuunin easily, with some help from Tsunade's training. From there, she completed countless missions at an exceptional speed, never taking breaks unless it was completely necessary. She moved from C-missions to B-missions, and returned to Konoha unscratched. Noticing her determination, the Hokage gave her harder missions each time. Once she completed some A-ranked missions, Tsunade suggested that she could try becoming a jounin if she wished to. Sakura didn't hesitate.

After becoming a jounin, her missions grew in difficulty, and the easiest A-missions were put aside in favor of the harder ones. Every mission tired her even more, but she never gave in, and kept working. Using her immense strength and chakra control, as well as her genjutsus to lure enemies into illusions, she completed each and all of her missions with perfection. Getting injured was not unusual for her, but that didn't matter; all she had to do was to heal herself. Little by little, she became a weapon; a tool. That was what ninjas were supposed to be.

Every time she returned to the Hokage, she put on a kind face and a fake smile. It helped; none of them could tell what was going on.  
Tsunade and Shizune had no idea how low she was falling. Nor had Sakura.

When she finally got into ANBU, she got three options: Assassination, Espionage or Protection. The latter was out of the question, and she did not intend to assassinate Sasuke, nor anyone else. On her countless missions she injured, tortured, frightened and intimidated her enemies and targets in all possible ways, never holding back. Then, when her mission was done, she used an illusion to erase the memories of those she fought. They wouldn't remember seeing her pink hair and cold, emerald eyes ever again; not even if she stepped right in front of them and asked if they remembered her. They wouldn't even remember having fought with her, nor if they had given her important information or important items.

Switching from being a jounin to an ANBU made some things easier, but at the same time other matters became much harder. Sakura chose to become an ANBU ninja specializing in the category 'Espionage'. That way, if she ever saw Sasuke, she would be the first one to know. The first one who was able to do something. Then, instead of going back to Konoha with information of his whereabouts, she would take care of him herself. If she had to knock him out, she would. Also, even if she had to give her life to make him return, she would make sure he did. That had been her plan.

Until one day.

After weeks without sleep and days without eating or resting properly, things went wrong. On a rare solo mission to gather information about a certain matter, she fought two skilled ninjas at once. It was a jounin mission, different from the ANBU ones that she had become used to, and she had accepted the assignment solely for training purposes. She managed to knock out one of them easily, yes, but was already at her limit. Then the other one came from behind. And out of mere reflex, or perhaps instinct, she jerked around and stabbed him. His look of shook was still etched in her mind, and it didn't go away. He fell to his knees while clutching her weapon. He was already dying.

Despite already having the information she came for, she couldn't leave. She healed the man as fast as she could; just enough for him to survive, then removed the weapon and healed the man some more. The man survived, but he fainted, and the other ninja remained still while watching in disbelief. Sakura used her specialized illusion to erase their memories and knock both of them out, and nearly fell when she rose to her feet. Her limit was reached. Without a doubt.

But without Sakura seeing him, a third person had managed to hide nearby. And he did not hesitate to attack upon seeing that she was in such a weakened state.

* * *

In Konoha, Neji was hit with a sudden urge to have a walk. Whether that wish was just a coincidence or a trick that his fate played on him, he did not know. All he knew was that he couldn't sit still; he had to go outside. And being a jounin, he trusted his instincts. He left his very own, yet small house and walked deeper into Konoha, not hurrying. Wandering aimlessly, he felt himself relax as he went into a state of awareness. He could hear and see everything everything within his range. Nothing passed him by unnoticed. Leaves falling, cats sneaking, people training somewhere in the distance. His small walk started in the late afternoon and lasted for quite a while.

The heavy, dark clouds above warned him about the rain that was to come, but he paid no heed to it. As evening came, his aimless walking came to a halt as he saw an old fountain. The stone fountain was completely dry and didn't look too inviting. Even so, Neji walked closer. He had memories from that place. This was where he used to hide before, when he wanted to be alone. He could cry without being watched, nor scolded by the stronger ninjas. _Crying..._ What an alien thing to do. Neji no longer cried. He hadn't cried since the time he met Haruno Sakura. He vaguely recalled thinking that her name fit her. That was true. Her pink hair was striking, and not suitable for a ninja who wished to keep her identity safe, but Sakura fit it.

Speaking of Sakura; he had heard that she was advancing. Her rank got better at an incredible speed, just like his own. However, judging from the things he had heard, she was also distancing herself from her friends. Neji's eyes darked a little as he remembered a talk he'd had with Naruto earlier. The yellow-haired boy seemed so lifeless. He even told Neji that Sakura seemed to be just as distant as Sasuke himself. Those words were strong. Personally, it was hard for Neji to imagine the cheerful, young girl as anything but helpful and kind. Was she really slipping away from the others?

Neji gave a sigh and shut his eyes. As if on cue, rain started falling, and it did not at all take long before it was pouring down. Neji turned around and left the small fountain that was still shielded from view by the trees around it. Knowing that he would get soaked no matter how fast he moved, he took a detour.

The detour of his led him past some of the training areas in which he had trained before. Once again he was reminded of the pink-haired girl. Remembering one person twice in less than an hour was not something he usually did. He didn't stop, however, and continued walking. On his way back to his house he passed the Konoha gate. There were guards there. That didn't surprise him; there were guards there all day and all night. Security was tight. Even where people couldn't see them, ninjas guarded the walls of Konoha. Neji's thoughs came to an abrupt halt as he saw someone familiar.

Sakura.

He was beginning to doubt that these were all just coincidences. Was there a reason behind this walk of his? She obviously hadn't seen him yet; she just walked slowly past the house in which two ninjas were guarding the main gate of Konoha.

"Hi there! Everything okay? How did the mission go?" one guard asked loudly as she passed them. She didn't stop.

"...Fine." she replied, her voice strained. The guard muttered an 'okay' and turned back to the other guy in question, who shrugged his shoulders. Neji looked back at Sakura. Something was wrong. As it was already evening, it was quite dark outside, which made it somewhat hard to see an awful lot. The rain only contributed to that. Despite these two obvious factors, Neji could still see that things were not as they should. Thus, he followed her. She walked for quite a long time, never stopping to rest, nor increasing her speed. However, once the two of them were alone in an abandoned street, she turned around to face him and crossed her arms.

"Why... are you following me." she demanded. Her words were tired and weary, and it sounded to him as if she forced herself to speak. She was standing close to a street-lamp, which lit her just enough for him to see her torn clothes. They were ragged with holes that were obviously made with weapons. Her pouch was missing and she had no items, at least none that he could see. Despite the fact that he hadn't seen her in a long time, he could tell, without a doubt, that she was much paler than usual. That, and she was shivering. The eyes she observed him with were cold and devoid of the emotions he had once seen them carry. He dull gaze was only interrupted by an occasional tired blink.

Neji narrowed his eyes a little as his eyes returned to her clothes. If the number of injuries she had equaled the number of rifts in her clothes, she had taken heavy damage. He doubted she had healed them all; her chakra was too low. He could barely sense it at all. The rain had most likely washed away all the blood that had surely tainted her skin not long before she came back to Konoha. Sakura, still waiting for him to speak, swayed a little, but then regained her balance and frowned.

"You... You're injured." he said. It was a statement, not a question. She looked away.

"Go away. I'll be fine; I'm a medic-nin." she said in a forced voice. That didn't sound like her at all. Since when didn't she want to be around her friends? What had Naruto said; months?

Sakura turned around and started walking again. To Neji's horror, a pond of blood was left where she had been standing only seconds before. Though it was mixed with the rain, the pond was still dark red. He looked back up only to find that she was gone. What was she doing? She didn't have enough chakra to heal those wounds on her own. She needed to get to a hospital. Frowning, Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area in less than seconds, then dashed in her direction; it hadn't taken him long to find her. Her back faced him.

"Go away. I'm going home, and I don't want you to know where I live. I can't have you go tell the others." she said in a whisper, having problems standing upright. By 'the others', he guessed she meant her friends. They didn't even know where she lived? Did the Hokage know about that? More importantly, why did she insist on going _home?_

"You should go to the hospital, not home." he said, strangely quiet, as if it would damage her even more if his words were loud.

"Not the hospital...I just... need to rest..." she said, and he barely heard her. He watched her head lower by the second, and her knees were disturbingly close to fail her. Without speaking, afraid to damage her even more, he approached until all he had to do was to reach out an arm in order to touch her.

Then he heard her give one final sigh of exhaustion before her knees gave in and she fell.

And being himself, a fellow ninja, he quickly caught her before she landed. With one arm under her knees and the other around her waist, he scooped her up before she hit the wet, muddy ground. Her head didn't rest against his shoulder but hung down from his upper arm in a limp fashion that he didn't like at all. Having no free arms with which he could move her head with, he looked around, more helpless than he had felt in quite a while. Where was the hospital? It would take quite a while to get there.

It was still raining and both of them were soaked. Neji knew his house was much closer than the hospital, but he also knew that Sakura needed to be brought there.

"Not the hospital..." he heard her whisper, and looked back down at her. She didn't move. Not the hospital? Did she have a particular reason for wanting so badly to avoid it?

After a long moment of annoyingly disturbing indecisiveness, Neji moved swiftly in the opposite direction of the hospital. In only minutes, he brought the injured Sakura to his house. Once inside, he walked through the small entrance area and into the living room, which had a kitchen attached to it, and continued past it into a small hall. There were three doors; One open sliding door to the living room behind him, and two sliding doors leading to the bedrooms. He made his way to the door at the right wall and entered it. The guest room held a futon bed a small closet with some drawers, and like his own, it had a bathroom.

Neji, not at all tired, yet not at peace, carefully lowered in front of the bed and placed Sakura on top of the soft, gray blankets gently. The entire room was rather dull; light gray walls, with just a tiny hint of green in them, and the single, large window was hidden by long, dark green curtains. The sliding doors, or shōji doors, were not too colorful either, and the ceiling was white. The wooden floor was dark brown, and the only things that lit the small room was the single lamp on the little table next to the bed. Neji inwardly thanked himself for not turning it off the last time he was in there.

Well aware that he was no medic, he hurried back to the living room and found some old books from one of the many shelves there. The other shelves didn't hold any books; they held scrolls and weapons, all well organized and nicely arranged. Neji moved back into the guest room while skimming through ome of the books he held.

He knew some basic healing jutsus. But that was all, though. While still reading one book; the one he believed would help him the most, he placed all the books on the bed next to Sakura and held his hands in the air above her. Eternally grateful that no one could see his concentrated expression while he read the book, he let his chakra flow down to Sakura and started healing her where he could see fresh blood coming through her torn clothes.

* * *

The next morning, Neji woke up with a strange feeling of something being _unusual._ In less than three full seconds, he remembered the events the night before and sat up. It couldn't have been a dream, could it? Narrowing his eyes, he absently moved a hand to his bandage-covered forehead while glancing at his clothes. It wasn't a dream; his clothes were stained with Sakura's blood after carrying her home last night. The mere sight of it made him frown. Quickly regaining himself, Neji got up and found his jet black jounin pants, which he rarely used at all. After finding a white sleeveless shirt, which he was not really too fond of, he took his other clothes with him into his bathroom and stuffed them into the washing machine.

After finishing in there, he found some other clothes as well: Some black pants that were a little too small for him, as well as a dark red t-shirt that he didn't use unless he had no other clothes to wear; it was simply too small.

Neji exited his bedchamber and then opened the sliding door leading to the guest room. Sakura was still asleep. The books he found yesterday were still there, in a messy pile next to the bed. His healing skills had increased considerably already. In fact, he had done quite well. Sakura's wounds were taken care of. She had already gotten rid of her most serious injuries on her own, most likely before getting back to Konoha, but most of her wounds had remained unhealed. That is, at least until Neji healed them. She was no longer injured. Thanks to the things he learned in the process, future missions would be less dangerous. At least a little.

He placed the clothes next to her bed and seized the pile of books, then left her room without a sound, swiftly sliding the door shut. Once it was closed he put the books back where they belonged and started making breakfast. Making food had never posed a problem for him. However, now that he had a certain pink-haired visitor, he was once again ambushed by the ever-annoying feeling of indecisiveness. What should he make? Frowning slightly, he moved a hand to his forehead and touched the bandages that hid his seal. He quickly moved it away, though, and proceeded to open the fridge.

In the end he decided to make a toast, fried eggs and tea. That combination was slightly odd, indeed, but that didn't matter.

While making breakfast, he pondered his options. He could let the Hokage know Sakura was there. However, he could also bring her to the hospital to avoid getting too much attention to _himself_. Judging from what Sakura had said so far, though, he doubted she would like that too much. He could let her go home; back to wherever she lived. Neji couldn't help but become curious. If no one knew where she lived, and if only a few knew her phone number, how did she communicate with others? Did she spend time with people she knew at all, or did she only speak with the Hokage and Shizune? That was not a good thing to do. It could affect her mental health, and in turn, her physical condition.

Noticing that one of the eggs was getting burned, he quickly turned it upside down. He would have that one; there was no way he would let someone know that a mere egg had gotten the best of him while he didn't pay attention. Sakura would get the other one, which looked a lot more flawless in his opinion.

Vaguely wondering how long Sakura had lasted without food, Neji placed the breakfast on two plates and placed on on the table in the living room. Balancing a cup of tea with a teaspoon on a small plate in one hand, and her breakfast on a larger plate in his other hand, he walked to her room and used his foot to slide open the door. Once inside, he moved soundlessly to her bed and looked down at her. She looked far more peaceful while asleep; yesterday, when she was awake, she had looked distraught, to say the least.

Why was she straining herself so much?

* * *

-I-I-I-  
If Sakura was out of character, I (mostly) blame that on her current obsession with Sasuke... (no offense. I do, in fact, not dislike the guy;)


	3. Slumber

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I wish I did.  
Your reviews are lurve. Sank yoo verry mutch.  
Whatever happened with the "DO NOT WRITE; GET SOME SLEEP!" thing of mine..? I think... I think it disappeared.

* * *

Slumber

* * *

Sakura woke up upon hearing someone call her name quietly, as if they were checking if she was awake or not. The unusual feeling of having slept dazed her; she hadn't slept for quite a while. The last thing she remembered was when she arrived in Konoha and Neji followed her. He had told her to go to the hospital. She didn't want that; she just wanted to get home and rest, then heal herself. However, as Neji followed her, she _didn't_ go home. After all, if he found out where she lived he could tell her friends, and she didn't want that. They would just interrupt her working and training.

Since when had she been thinking that way?

She sighed and frowned a little. Where was she, anyway? If Neji had brought her to the hospital, what would she do? Tsunade was bound to find out that she had overworked herself completely. Then she would order Sakura to take some days, or perhaps weeks, off. During that time, it wouldn't surprise her if Sasuke was spotted somewhere. She needed to be there when that happened. Speaking of which, she was already late; she should have returned to Konoha days ago. Her wounds had made it difficult to get back within her time-limit, though. She should go and deliver the information she had gathered as fast as possible. Her mission had to be reported to Tsunade.

"...Sakura?" she heard again, and opened her eyes. To her surprise, the room was not white at all. She wasn't in the hospital? The blankets she had wrapped around herself in her sleep were dark green with leaf patterns all over them, and the room was mostly gray with a certain green shade in the walls. It looked nice. But where was she? Sakura frowned a little and turned around to see the one who had called her name. To her surprise, Neji was standing next to her bed.

"Neji?" she mumbled, her voice tired. Despite her tiredness, she felt herself wake up some more as she felt the smell of newly made food. With a little trouble, she sat up and looked around to take in the unfamiliar place.

"...I brought you here because you seemed rather reluctant to go to the hospital." Neji explained before she could ask, then handed her a plate of food and placed a cup of tea on the small lamp table next to the bed.  
"There's a bathroom in there, along with a washing machine. You can use these clothes." he continued, and nodded in the direction of the floor. Sakura looked down to see the dark pants and the red t-shirt.

"...Thanks." she said in an absent voice. Neji left, but soon returned with something else that she recognized as blood replenishment pills. She needed those; not only did she need to reproduce blood, but she also lacked a pouch with medical equipment. She had lost all her items in the fight against that ninja. She accepted the pills and placed them on her plate of food. Toast, tea and perfectly fried eggs. Judging from how it looked and smelled, he was skilled with food. She hadn't eaten a thing the last week, that is, if she didn't count in the water.

After he left the room that was temporarily hers, she ate the food he had prepared for her and downed the pills with the tea. With some difficulties, she took a shower while at the same time cleaning and drying all her clothes in the washing machine. Her clothes were torn and had countless holes in them, and they looked fairly bad even they after cleaning them. Thus, she only wore her undergarments and used the clothes he had found for her instead. The black pants were a little large, but the t-shirt fit her perfectly. Wearing Neji's clothes made her feel rather uneasy, though.

Despite the food, the clean clothes and a good night's sleep, she still felt worn and a little distressed. Sakura blamed that on herself; she was late. It was about time for her to go to Tsunade and report her mission. If she asked why Sakura was late, she would just say that she ran into some trouble on her way, but that everything went fine. If she didn't, there was a chance that Tsunade made her take some days off. She couldn't have that; she needed to find Sasuke, after all. Correction: She needed to be the _first _ person to find Sasuke.

Sakura grabbed her torn, yet clean clothes and exited her room, then looked around to find out where to go. She walked down the hall and into the living room. It was impressive, to say the least: Two of the walls had an open sliding door each, which had shelves on each side of them. In the shelves were countless books, scrolls and weapons, all arranged nicely. One of the other walls had floor-to-ceiling windows that were partly covered by one layer of dark brown curtains and another layer of much lighter, lime green veils of some sort. The last wall was occupied by a small kitchen with dark brown, simple closets and cabinets. In the middle of the room was a kotatsu table; a table with a carpet and an over underneath. The table was also made of dark wood, and the table warmer was lime green and looked warm and soft. Around the table were equally colored tatami pillows for people to sit on.

"How do you feel?" she heard, and turned around to see Neji. He wore pants similar to the ones she wore, only he had a white tank top.

"Better... But my chakra is still... unstable..." she said, then trailed off. She wasn't really sure what was going on with her chakra at all. Some parts of her body had no chakra at all. Her chakra seemed to gather at certain points, and it ignored her when she tried to control it. Come to think of it, it reminded her of the effects Neji's attacks had on his enemies: Her chakra was stopped, as if her chakra circulatory system was damaged. Perhaps it was.

Sakura watched warily as Neji activated his Byakugan and examined the state of her chakra. She didn't move, not even when he frowned.

"Your chakra system is damaged. Your chakra is prevented from moving from where it is already gathered." he stated silently, then deactivated his Byakugan. Sakura instantly relaxed some more.  
"...I know how to damage chakra systems, but not how to repair them. My own attacks usually wear off after a while. How long have you been like that?" he asked, and she looked away.

"Some days... As for my chakra system, I know how to heal it, but I'm not able to do it myself." she said quietly. As long as her chakra behaved like that, there was no way she could control it and use it to heal herself.

"Though my healing jutsus have improved, my skills are still insufficient. I doubt I can do too much even if you tell me how. My chakra is destructive, just like yours is ideal for healing." he muttered and walked past her. She knew what he meant; he just wanted her to go to the hospital.

"I... Thank you for helping me. I should get going..." she said and glanced towards the main door.  
"Can I borrow these clothes? I'll just go back home and find some new ones, then I'll come back here with yours." she asked and turned back to him. She still held her torn clothes under her left arm. He nodded, then walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and pulled the curtains aside. Then he opened one of the windows, that was actually a sliding door made of glass, and waited for her to exit.

"...You can exit here if you don't want to be seen exiting my front door." he explained. Sakura was about to give him a faint smile, but stopped. What he meant could be that _he_ didn't want anyone to see that she left his house through the front door. That would surely make rumors fly around. He didn't wish for people to know she had been in his house. That made sense.

"Thank you." she muttered with half a smile before walking past him through the hidden glass sliding-door, not looking at him at all while doing so. Due to her chakra problems, it was hard for her to move normally. She had more chakra in her left foot than in the other, and more chakra in her right knee than in her left. Trying to walk as normally as possible, she walked through his garden.

It was beautiful. Encircled by a tall, wooden, dark brown fence, it was shielded from others' view. The grass was very short and nicely tended to in some places, but longer in other areas. Sakura, astonished to say the least, followed the nearly white stone tiles until she got to a small, yet gorgeous pond. Around it were many round, fine stones, all the same color as the tiles on which she walked. Tall grass framed the pond and the white stones perfectly, and the scene was dimly lit by some lamps hidden out of sight, probably by the grass. Small golden fishes were swimming around slowly and aimlessly down there. If it started raining, the pond would be partially protected by the heavy branches of the weeping willow tree next to it. The suspended branches functioned as a living green curtain, and it seemed to shield everything within.

Sakura, whose eyes were wide in surprise and wonder, shook her head to get out of her temporary daze. Had Neji made all this? Or had he hired someone? If he had, who had he hired? Had it been expensive? She turned around to stand face to face with Neji. He seemed to be searching for something while watching her in something akin to suspicion, and his light purple eyes examined her features for whatever he hoped to see there.

Confused, Sakura flashed him half a smile and frowned a little at the same time upon experiencing the unfamiliar sensation of actually smiling again. How long had it been?

* * *

Neji searched her eyes for any signs of her old, lively self. She seemed different. After she turned around and walked away, he was left there in the hidden garden of his, the secret haven in which only very few had walked. Absently, he watched he as she opened the tall wooden gate and left. The gate looked just like the dark fence; he was surprised that she found it that quickly. Then again, perhaps she had improved since the last time he saw her.

He vaguely recalled seeing her fight Ino in the Chuunin Exams. After that, years passed before he saw her again. Team Seven and Team Gai went on a mission together to save Gaara, yes, but he hadn't exchanged a single word with her on that mission. Sakura had killed Sasori, the puppet master. Even though he had caught a few glimpses of her with his Byakugan from afar, he still wasn't sure how strong she was. For all he knew, the earthquakes were caused by Chiyo, the Elder from the Sand Village. As Chiyo and Sasori were both puppet masters, perhaps Sakura only functioned as a medic. She was skilled at that, at least. What was her rank? Jounin?

After going back inside, he went to the guest room and quickly changed the sheets there, then returned to the living room. He sat down casually on one of the tatami pillows and then waited for Sakura to return. For all he knew, she could return in five minutes. However, she could also come back in five days. Neji didn't mind; he didn't need the clothes she borrowed from him.

Quite a long time passed during which he only sat there, and he eventally got up and made some tea again, choosing a random flavor. He didn't usually drink too much tea, but he did like it. Just as he sat down again and placed his cup of tea on the table, he heard someone knock at his front door. Neji glanced at the small clock at the kitchen desk. It had been a little bit more than half an hour since Sakura left. Was she back already? He left his tea and went to open the entrance door. To his surprise, it was not Sakura. It was Tenten. She looked rather suspicious.

"Hey there, Neji." she greeted, narrowing her eyes only a little as she gave him a slightly lopsided smile.  
"Hello, Tenten. Can I help you?" he asked, wanting to know what she was plotting.

"...Hm? Have you got visitors?" she asked, her voice mischievous. Neji didn't even blink, and feigned a look of indifference.  
"To have visitors at this hours is highly unusual, Tenten. Most people are not even awake yet." Neji replied, completely calm.

"But I sensed another chakra in there not long ago. Are you hiding something, Neji?" she asked, gleeful at the possibility of finding a juicy rumor to spread. If it was good enough, she could even use it to blackmail him if such a need would arise.  
"...Hanabi came by to deliver some scrolls earlier, but soon left again. However, I do not view his stopover as a 'visit', as it did not at all last that long." Neji explained. That was not really a lie; Hanabi _did_ come by, yes, but not that particular morning. Tenten pouted and frowned as she heard that. There was not a trace of lies to be found in his eyes; he didn't let her see any.

"Blah... Anyway, Lee told me to let you know that he's training today. He's challenging you again." she said, and before he replied, she left in a puff of smoke. Neji frowned, annoyed. They both knew that he wasn't going to show up. It would be a waste of time.

When he returned inside he once again glanced at his tea. As if on cue, someone knocked on the glass door, signalizing the arrival of another guest. He walked closer and pulled away the curtains to see Sakura on the other side. He couldn't see her face, as her head was lowered. For some reason, the clothes she had borrowed earlier was on the ground. Neji narrowed his eyes as he watched the scene before him. She didn't appear to feel too well. After only a short moment of waiting, he slid open the glass door and stepped outside, ignoring that she supported herself with a hand on one of his flawlessly clean windows.

"Sakura..?" he tried. Her other arm hung down in a limp manner, but both of her hands were closed tightly in fists, and she didn't look up.  
"...Sorry. I dropped them." she said in a low, strained voice, obviously speaking about the clothes. Sensing her chakra pulse from her irregularly, he activated his Byakugan to see if something was wrong.

"What..." he muttered upon seeing her messy chakra system; it was much worse. If the chakra kept moving around like it did, she could take heavy damage. Sakura gave him an apologetic smile that didn't reach her eyes at all. Even so, it was better than not smiling at all.

"I tried to use some of my chakra to speed up a little when I hurried back here. It didn't work, and then it worsened..." she explained, then grit her teeth in pain as her chakra continued to devour her from her inside. Trembling, she lowered to pick up the clothes again.

"...You should go to the hospital." he said in a serious voice, frowning slightly as he accepted the clothes she handed to him. She shook her head.  
"Why? Are you afraid that your friends will show up?" he questioned, aiming to find out what was going on. Sakura looked up at him and frowned. Despite her frown, she looked frightened.

"...I don't want to see them." she said simply. That wasn't like her at all. Hadn't she been on the same team as Naruto? Didn't she care as much about her friends as he did?

"Why." he demanded, slightly colder than he had intended to.

"...Because I can't face them before my working and training efforts pay off. I've trained hard, and I haven't seen any of them in a while. I want to find Sasuke before seeing them." she said, barely audible. Neji frowned a little at that. Her answer made no sense. Besides, hadn't Sasuke left of his own free will, solely for the purpose of getting revenge? When Sasuke left, he had thought more of himself and his ambitions than of his friends. As a result, they were all falling apart.

Because Sasuke left, Sakura overworked herself completely and avoided the others. As a result, Naruto changed as well. Judging from the few conversations Neji had with him every once in a while, Naruto was no longer the cheerful person he used to be. And that had an effect on everyone else he usually spent time with. Without realizing it, Neji came to the conclusion that Sasuke was to blame. Sasuke, shrouded by his own hate and wishes for revenge, was the source of the problem.

What could Neji do about that?

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as Sakura fell to her knees. Neji dropped the clothes he held and sat down next to her, then moved a hand to her trembling shoulder.

"Not counting in the last 24 hours, how long has it been since you ate or slept?" he asked. She didn't answer. Seeing with his Byakugan that her chakra gave no signs of improving even when she didn't use it, he frowned.  
"...It doesn't matter what you say. I am taking you to the hospital." he said, his voice monotone, yet determined. Upon hearing him, Sakura shoved his hand off her shoulder and forced herself back to her feet, then turned around to leave. It was futile; Neji knew that, and so did she. Using an illusion to make her faint or fall asleep wouldn't work, as her chakra system was already damaged, so Neji swiftly moved to stand in her way. She frowned deeply and sent him a glare. The nearly evil expression blemished her features for a brief moment.

"Don't bring me there." she said, her voice low. He just watched her, and didn't move when she stepped closer.  
"All I need to get better is to get rid of my chakra, then let it replenish on its own." she claimed and took hold of his white sleeveless shirt with a weak grip. This took him by surprise, but he didn't hesitate. He made some simple hand seals, intending to stop her chakra from working at all. He hit some of her chakra points, effectively stopping her from moving. He merely tapped them and made sure not to damage her.

Her eyes widened in shock as she fell forward and he caught her by seizing her upper arms. Then, in a swift movement, he scooped her up into his arms. She could barely move at all, but still held onto his shirt with her feeble grip.

"Please..?" she managed in a whisper, refusing to give in to unconsciousness. Her cold eyes changed as a pleading look took hold of her features.

"...If you rid yourself of all your chakra, you will be left defenseless for an extended period of time." he stated, not looking away from her while speaking.

"I know." she replied, refusing to avert her emerald gaze. If she knew, and still wanted to try, that meant she trusted him to help her. That was an improvement, wasn't it? From avoiding her friends to accept help from him; that was a prominent step. But would he once again give in and avoid bringing her to the hospital? Neji glanced towards the partially hidden gate in the tall fence. If he chose to take her there now, in the middle of the day, people would definitely see them. Seeing as he was regarded by many as a genius from the Hyuuga clan, rumors were bound to fly all over the place. He was bound to be questioned about the matter in one way or another. Carrying the long-absent, pink-haired Sakura was not something her friends usually did nowadays.

"If I assist you... will you stop exhausting yourself?" he asked quietly, as he didn't need to speak loudly for her to hear him; she was close enough. Her frown weakened as she relaxed a little, then she gave a barely visible nod.

If Neji was going to drain her chakra to keep it from damaging her, he would need to be directed by her. Healing was not his strongest asset, but medical jutsus were necessary, so he would have to do as she told him. At the slightest sign of things going wrong, he would take her to the hospital without hesitation. He would not let her persuade him into not going there again. And if things went fine, she had a promise to keep. By not tiring herself so much she could come to her senses again.

And perhaps meet her old friends.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Sakura owes Neji a big favor. And... every single review helps...


	4. Persuasion

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; this is just a fanfiction written by me, a fan, for other fans.

I have most of this story in my head. The question is, should I keep using time writing it?

* * *

Persuasion

* * *

"First... Let your chakra shroud my own. My chakra should attach to yours after a while, and when that happens, you should be able to pull out all the chakra." Sakura explained.

She was once again in bed, the same as she had slept in that night. While ignoring her growing feeling of being indebted to Neji, she tried not to use too much of his time. She owed him a lot already. Explaining to him was fairly easy, as he was much better than many other ninjas. Neji was called a genius by many, something she couldn't deny. Despite the fact that she only explained once, he immediately did as she said without hesitation and without mistakes. She looked at him with wide eyes as he concentrated. He didn't look concentrated, no, but even though his features remained perfectly calm and collected, she knew that such a task required focus.

Slightly anxious, Sakura felt his chakra fill her entire body, and the unfamiliar sensation of it made her uneasy at first. She hadn't been healed, much less felt the chakra of another person, ever since Tsunade healed her after many of her countless training sessions. His chakra was different from her own in many ways; it was colder in a way. Her own chakra was green or emerald when she healed herself, and she guessed his was blue or dark blue. Why, she didn't know, it was just a guess. While her idle, aimless thoughts kept her busy, Neji continued to let his cold chakra cover and shroud her own, surrounding and encircling it.

After a while in silence, Sakura looked back at Neji, who still worked without a sound other than that of their mingling chakras. To her surprise, their gazes met. She watched him warily, without changing her emotionless expression. His face also remained devoid of expression, and he didn't look away, not even when she barely frowned.

"...Is something wrong?" she asked, suspicious. Despite the lack of emotion in his face, she could tell he wasn't all cold, at least.

"Does the Hokage know that you're avoiding your friends..?" he asked, not unkindly. Sakura averted her gaze.

"No, but it's only a matter of time before she finds out. I bet Naruto will tell her. When he does, it won't surprise me if she withdraws my ANBU license just to make me spend more time with them." she muttered, barely audible, yet not doubting that he heard her. She glanced at him to catch a glimpse of amusement in his eyes. Didn't he know she was in ANBU? Perhaps he thought she was a jounin. Come to think of it, did her friends know that she was an ANBU? Probably not.

"...What if you go see your friends _before _ Naruto goes to the Hokage?" he suggested, and she looked at him without betraying her thoughts.

"Then they'll just keep me from training, and thus also keep me from getting closer to Sasuke." she replied monotonously.

"Wrong." he stated, and she blinked once, her eyes a little wider than usual. What?

"That is, without a doubt, wrong. They will not keep you from training, they'll _help_ you train instead, if that is your wish." he explained, holding her gaze with those strangely comforting eyes of his, clearly without doubting his words. What he said took her completely off guard, and she opened her mouth to reply. When she found nothing to say, she shut her mouth and frowned, then averted her gaze. Despite no longer watching him, she knew he observed her while waiting for her to speak again. Sakura grit her teeth. If it hadn't been for the state of her chakra, she would have closed her hands in very, very dangerous fists.

As much as she despised that small revelation of his, there was no denying it; Neji was right.

How could she _not_ find out that on her own? It was so painfully obvious. Sakura, still on top of the blankets on her assigned bed, turned to face away from Neji. It wouldn't surprise her if he had an annoyingly wide smirk of triumph on his face. Then again, he was not really the kind of person to take delight in the embarrassment of others, was he? Curiousness got the best of her after only seconds of pondering the many possible expressions on his face, and she turned to see if his features held any sign of emotion at all.

His unreadable features made her narrow her eyes a little. Neji looked as if he was searching for something in her eyes. His eyes were only slightly narrowed, and his frown was barely visible at all. His light purple, almost white eyes scrutinized her own cold, emerald orbs with intensity that could only be achieved by people as strong as himself. It was frightening, especially considering that she had just been outsmarted by him.

As if on cue, he started withdrawing his chakra. In the process, he also took hers. That would leave her severely weakened, yes, but it would stop her chakra from devouring her from inside. Once she recovered and renewed her chakra, things would get back to normal, without her own chakra feasting on her. Sakura felt their mingled chakras disappear from her feet and hands first. Then her legs and arms were drained. Once all the chakra was seemingly gone, she was left defenseless. Neji, on the other hands, was strengthened, without a doubt. That only increased her disturbing feeling of temporary inferiority. Neji only left the amount of chakra that was necessary for her to survive. Needless to say, she felt helpless.

Sakura vaguely remembered how long it took before Hatake Kakashi healed after using his Sharingan to its limit. More than a week, wasn't it? Her feeling of helplessness was only partially removed as a feeling of shamelessness intruded. She would most likely hang around Neji's place for about a week. And she hadn't even asked; she had just begged him to help. An unfamiliar sensation of her cheeks reddening entered her and she frowned at herself. When she finally looked back at Neji, she saw him move his fingers as if examining the sudden surplus of chakra she had given him. At least she had given him _something._

Neji watched his hand absently while feeling the surplus of chakra flow through his body. Vaguely wondering how long it would take before Sakura recovered, he looked down at her. She looked back with eyes that were almost closed. Her mouth was barely open, allowing her to breathe freely. She didn't even stir when he watched her. Her eyes were glazed and she looked tired, yet peaceful. Despite the fact that she seemed worn, her tiredness did not at all blemish her features. Seemingly untroubled and undisturbed, she rested quietly with no signs of wanting to speak. While he watched, her eyes closed. Her breath evened out, signalizing that she had fallen asleep.

Neji's eyebrows arched slightly at that; he had never seen anyone fall asleep that quickly before. To be quite frank, it was far more usual for him to see people faint or die than to see them just peacefully _fall asleep._ In fact, he couldn't remember experiencing seeing that before at all.

Without a sound, with the stealth and swiftness that only a jounin of his own caliber could muster, he left her room and shut the sliding door without a sound.

However, before he could decide what to do next, someone knocked at the door. Thinking there was a possibility that Tenten had returned, Neji moved to the entrance and opened the door, ready to answer whatever question she had. He was taken aback, however, as it wasn't just Tenten, but also Lee and Gai. Tenten watched him with crossed arms and confident eyes, Lee and Gai placed their hands at their sides and grinned. Their sparkling smiled made him frown a little, but he remained calm. What were they doing there?

"You won't escape this time. I've had to train with these two in your place the last couple of days, you know!" Tenten said confidently, and Neji couldn't possibly _not _ notice the way in which she said _'these two'_. It sounded like she was speaking of dogs eager to go for a walk.

"Oh, that's amazing, Neji! Your chakra level is much higher than normal!" Gai said in a loud voice, ignoring Tenten.

"Really, Gai-sensei? Is he much stronger than usual?!" Lee asked, turning to his teacher. Apparently, none of them noticed the presence of Sakura inside; her current chakra was too low for them to notice at all. His own chakra, however, was higher than usual, something he didn't mind.

What made him rather uneasy, though, was that his teammates _insisted_ that he joined them. Could he leave Sakura just like that? His decision was quite rudely made for him as the two green-clothed men seized his upper arms and pulled him out of his house with eager expressions on their faces. Their grins seemed to sparkle even more than usual. Considering the fact that Neji currently only wore black jounin pants, a long and white t-shirt without sleeves, and wore bandages instead of his headband, Neji felt highly uncomfortable. He didn't even wear shoes, nor socks. To his horror, Tenten went inside. After some painfully long moments, she came back out with his black sandals.

And then they pulled him by his arms and pushed his back all the way to the training grounds. Needless to say, Neji caused them trouble all the way there. He said he wanted to get his equipment and fighting gear several times, as well as his combat clothes, but it was all in vain. They told him that with his current chakra level, he already had enough advantages. Still, with three-on-one, he found that argument rather absurd. He was tempted to tap their chakra points more than once, but refrained from doing it, though with severe difficulties.

Considering the fact that the sun only contributed to Lee's and Gai's already much too flashy grins, Neji eventually found himself slowly psyche out. Getting attention was inevitable. Several ninjas and girls followed them, as seeing a jounin being pulled along by two other ninjas was not really too normal. The fact that he was Neji of the Hyuuga clan did not help much; to Neji's great chagrin, some had cameras. Once they were finally at the training grounds, Tenten left while saying something along the lines of 'See ya when you've trained with them as much as _I've _ had to! And cheer up Lee!'. Neji grit his teeth and shut his eyes for a moment, trying to regain his composure.

Luckily for him, most of the people left once they were there. After getting on his sandals, Neji reluctantly readied himself for the training session that was to come. The faster he got it over with, the faster could he leave and escape the clutches of two certain persons wearing frighteningly green clothes.

While Gai watched as Lee and Neji sparred and fought, Neji couldn't help but notice that Lee's fighting wasn't as spirited as usual. Thus, after only minutes of fighting, Neji stopped. Frowning, he watched his teammate with suspicion.

"What is wrong?" he demanded, a little harsher than he had planned to. Upon hearing his words, Lee let his head drop down a little. Gai stepped in.

"Haven't you heard? Lee hasn't seen his beautiful cherry blossom for months! That has had a horrible affect on his youth!" Gai explained, then moved over to Lee and gave him a pat on the back.

"Don't give up, you will definitely see her again soon, Lee!" he continued. When Lee looked at him with an overly sad expression, Gai got severe problems holding back his own overly sad expression, and the two overly sad expressions were too much for Neji, whose face remained devoid of any overly sad expression at all.

"...I won't fight you when you're like that. I'll wait until your spirit is back." he muttered, just loud enough for them to hear, then he backed away and disappeared in the blink of an eye, with a slightly twitching eyebrow.

He stopped, however, as he saw a familiar yellow-haired ninja.

Naruto sat with his back against a tree with one arm resting on his knee and his head lowered. Neji couldn't see his face, but Naruto didn't exactly seem happy. Not far away was Kiba and Akamaru, both trying to cheer him up. After gesturing and talking loudly about training, Kiba found a kunai and threw it in Naruto's direction. It hit the tree behind him, right above his shoulder. Naruto didn't even stir. Neji watched as Kiba's shoulders fell and Akamaru gave a displeased bark. Never before had Neji seen him that down; Naruto looked so depressed that his current state could only be described as lifeless.

It wouldn't surprise Neji if Sakura's absence had something to do with it. He should do something.

* * *

The next day Sakura still slept. In the beginning, he only checked her once, right before going to bed himself. Then he checked on her again the next morning, only to find out that she didn't even wake up when he called her name. It didn't really bother him too much. However, when he returned with breakfast and nudged her shoulder gently, she still didn't wake up. Thus he checked on her more often. Seeing as it was already evening, he was getting worried. If he told the Hokage, he would have to tell everything, and he _would_ get punished in one way or another. But he couldn't just leave Sakura in the guest room if she kept sleeping.

Frowning, he sighed and went into her room for the fourth time that day. He had already checked on her twice in the morning and once in the afternoon. This time he brought a book and a tatami pillow with him, the book was about medical jutsus and their effects, and the pillow was for him to sit on, obviously. He settled in the corner of her room and started reading, occasionally glancing at the pink-haired young woman. Her peaceful expression was partly hidden by the blankets she had managed to cuddle into in her sleep.

Neji read about jutsus and techniques similar to the one he had used on her, and searched the book for possible side effects they caused. He found the same answer many times: 'Recovery rate depends on the stamina of the patient.' If the patient was already in a weakened state when the technique was used, the recovery speed would be significantly lower. However, the book he read said nothing about extended periods of sleep similar to the one Sakura was experiencing.

With a sigh, Neji shut the book and rose to his feet, then dropped it on the tatami pillow. Slowly, he shuffled closer to Sakura. Her pink hair was unkempt and her arms were sprawled on top of the blanket she was partly wrapped in. The faint light from the table lamp barely lit her pale face. Despite her tiredness and ruffled hair, she looked healthy. Her peaceful expression reminded him of the time he first met her; When she found him at the fountain and he walked her home. The only difference was that her face was now devoid of happiness, even in her sleep. And Neji didn't like that.

As if on cue, she stirred and turned around, facing away from him. She moved a little more and struggled to sit up. Once she did, her eyes widened a little in puzzlement. When she remembered where she was and why, she visibly relaxed and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then she turned to him.

"...How is your chakra?" _How are you feeling?_

"I still don't have much... Sorry for being such a bother, I didn't even ask politely for your help..." she said in a barely audible voice, frowning slightly while giving him an uncomfortable smile.

"...No problem." _ Any time._

She slowly moved to the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. Though she didn't wear her shoes, she still had all her other clothes on, with the exception of her headband. Neji had taken the liberty to remove it earlier. Despite the fact that her few movements were easy, she already seemed tired.

"I... I'll take a quick shower, and then..." she said, then trailed off. Though she didn't see him, he gave a nod and left her room, and made sure to close the sliding door on his way.

He prepared some food while she had her shower. The tea and toast he made was just like the breakfast he gave her last time, only with one more egg. Neji placed it on the kotatsu table and waited. Merely sitting there was not at all a waste of time; he could think without being disturbed, and if he wished, he could have a walk in his 'secret' garden. It was, in a way, a sanctuary. Memories seemed to surface every time he walked into that small, yet peaceful haven.

After about half an hour, he heard Sakura walk into the living room. Without turning around to face her, he gestured for her to come and sit down, and she chose one of the tatami pillows and settled on it. Seemingly uncomfortable, she looked around, and her gaze eventually stopped at the food.

"...I borrowed the washing machine for my clothes again. I cleaned and dried them." she said, sounding guilty, then watched him to see if that was okay with him. Neji only nodded, not knowing what to say to that; it was fine with him. Her eyes once again wandered to the food.

"Do help yourself." he said, watching as she flashed him a smile. It was genuine this time. Not half-hearted, nor false. Despite not lasting too long at all, her small smile was kind, and also real. The two ate in silence, which Neji found quite nice, despite not knowing how she felt about it all. It wouldn't surprise her if she said she wanted to leave as soon as possible. However, in such a weakened state, she would most likely stay for a while. Once done eating, she cleared her voice a little.

"Do you have a phone?" she asked, her eyes betraying her expectation. Neji rose to his feet, taking their empty plates and tea cups with him in the process, then walked over to the kitchen desk and placed it all next to the sink. Then he found a wireless, walkie-talkie-like phone and handed it to her. She muttered a 'thank you' and flashed him yet another smile, her second one in a short amount of time, then dialed a number. Neji sat down and watched her.

"...Hello? Tsunade-sama? ...It's me, Sakura..." she started, but was rudely interrupted by a row of words so loud that Sakura held the phone away from her face. Her apologetic and guilty expression lured half a smile onto her face as she continued, frowning a little.

"Yes, I'm fine, and yes, I'm back in Konoha... Sorry for not showing up, I got a little tired and decided to rest... What? For several days..? ...Well, yeah, I got back quite recently, and then- Yes, the mission was successful." she continued, strangely quiet. Neji could, without straining himself, hear the Hokage speak fast and hurriedly with Sakura. She had obviously been worried. Neji couldn't help but give half a smile himself; if that was how the Hokage reacted, then what about Naruto?

* * *

-I-I-I-  
And no, Naruto hasn't gone to Tsunade yet. He's too down...


	5. Suggestion

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't have been able to kill any of them.

I eat your reviews for breakfast, second breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, supper and dessert. And I also use them as appetizers and snacks. It's up to you to make me fat!

* * *

Suggestion

* * *

Neji listened to Sakura speak with Tsunade for a fair while. Or actually, he listened to Tsunade shout incoherent questions and comment at Sakura, who held the phone away from her ear with a slightly embarrassed expression. Ignoring the fact that he was listening, Sakura eventually told Tsunade about her mission. She said it was completed with only slight difficulties, but that she had gained all the information she came for, and claimed that the only reason she had been so late was that she needed to rest. Though that was not the entire truth, at least she didn't lie. Throughout the conversation, Sakura's head dropped occasionally, and she shut her eyes for more than just a few times. Neji vaguely wondered how long she would last.

Once she hung up, she placed the phone on the table and let her hand rest there while watching it in something akin to discomfort. Sakura obviously didn't like being in such a weakened state.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your phone." she muttered, not watching him. Neji searched her face. She had reported her mission and spoken with the Hokage, yes, but should he try to make her call some of her friends as well? She had no idea how much they missed her company. Judging from how spiritless Naruto acted, things were already looking bad.

"I..." Sakura tried, but stopped. With some difficulties, she struggled to her feet again. He did nothing to stop her when she walked past him. Without watching him, she walked back to her room.

"...Thanks, Neji." he heard her say in a whisper before closing the sliding door. Neji said nothing, knowing his reply would most likely not be heard by her, and took hold of the phone she had used only moments before. It was still warm after being held by her. For a moment, he just watched it.

He would try to make her contact her friends as soon as her chakra recovered some more. That was his decision.

Yet another day passed in which Neji watched over her while she slept. Not all the time, only once in the morning when he placed some breakfast on the small lamp table, and one more time later the same day, in the afternoon. Sakura gradually recovered and regained her strength little by little. Her annoyance did not pass him unnoticed; apparently, she really disliked being weakened. Therefore, he avoided speaking too much of it. In the evening, she once again came into the living room. Even though that was not a feat out of the ordinary, he couldn't help but give her a smile. That smile, however, only included one corner of his mouth. And it was only barely tilted up. Despite that, he dared to categorize it as a smile, solely because it had been triggered by her presence.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She gave a nod and flashed him half a smile, warmer than usual, yet not as hearty as he remembered it was years ago.

"...That is good." he said quietly, thinking of his decision from the day before.

"Why do you ask..?" Sakura wondered, looking straight at him with those deep, emerald pools of hers. Neji looked back and their gazes locked.

"I was wondering... Don't you want to see your friends?" he tried, not intending to look away. Sakura frowned a little, but avoided averting her eyes. Neji found himself wondering if Sakura remembered their conversation from the day before.

"_...What if you go see your friends _before_ Naruto goes to the Hokage?" he suggested, and she looked at him without betraying her thoughts.  
_"_Then they'll just keep me from training, and thus also keep me from getting closer to Sasuke." she replied monotonously._  
"_Wrong." he stated, and she blinked once, her eyes a little wider than usual in her surprise. Neji eyed a chance and continued._  
"_That is, without a doubt, wrong. They will not keep you from training, they'll _help_ you train instead, if that is your wish." he explained, clearly without doubting his words. What he said took her completely off guard._

"...Yes, I suppose that's... fine..." she said and trailed off, then looked away, her deepening frown still blemishing her features.

At this, Neji pushed the phone closer to her on the table, from his side to hers. She looked at it absently, then seized it and dialed a number. Neji registered that she still remembered the number to whoever she called; that meant she hadn't completely distanced herself. Perhaps she had even considered calling her friends, even. As long seconds passed without anyone answering Sakura's call, her expression turned into one of worry and hesitation, and she looked as if all she really wanted to do was to hang up. However, with his watchful eyes observing her, she didn't.

"...He-Hello? Ino?" she said, surprised. If it hadn't been for her frightened look, it would have been quite amusing. Neji felt the unusual sensation of concern upon seeing her anxiousness, and a nearly invisible frown made its way through his normally stoic demeanor.

"Yeah, it's me, Sakura." Sakura continued, still uncomfortable.

"What? Where I've been? ...Well, around... Doing missions." she said in a quiet voice.

"...No, I just wondered if... perhaps..." _...Perhaps what?_ Neji still watched her, and she glanced at him for a brief second.

"If... you want to meet somewhere..?" Sakura asked, flustered. Her frown deepened while hearing Ino voice her opinion, and Neji felt himself calm down a little as Sakura gave a quiet sigh of relief.

"Yeah, that sounds good... What? Today?" she said, her small smile being exchanged with an expression of surprise.

"Okay... Hello? Ino..?" she asked, then moved the phone and held it in front of her while looking at it with an unreadable face. Then she turned to Neji, slightly confused, as if silently asking if that was it.

"...She hung up." she stated.

The two of them watched each other, Sakura waiting for him to speak, and Neji expecting her to say explain some more. Where they would meet, for example. Searching her clear emerald orbs while she looked into his own nearly white ones, Neji felt slightly comforted. Sakura looked better now than when he found her some days ago; that was for sure. She looked healthier by far. Hopefully, meeting Ino would lighten her mood even more. And maybe, only maybe, that would make her want to go visit her other friends afterwards. Meanwhile, what would he do?

"We're meeting at the old training grounds, the ones nobody use anymore." Sakura added.

"...I see." he replied, thinking. The old training grounds? That place was wrecked, crushed, and left in pieces after countless training sessions that had taken place there over the years. No one went there anymore, simply because there was nothing to train with. No boulders, stones, tree trunks or anything else of particular interest. Only trees that were too young and petite to use for training. Those trees hid the place well, though, and it was easy to hide there. That was one of the very few advantages of the place.

"Was Ino pleased to hear from you?" he asked, curious.

"I don't know. She was so excited that I don't know if she was happy or if she was... very angry..." she said in a quiet voice, then flashed a lopsided smile and gave a small laugh. The sound of her laughing improved the mood a lot, which in turn cheered him up. Sakura seemed pleased, to say the least, despite the her two latter words. Things were starting too brighten. Needless to say, Neji did nothing to stop it.

Half an hour later, right before Sakura was about to leave, she heard Neji's phone start ringing. Curious, she waited for him to answer it. He glanced in her direction, and before answering the call, he put on the speaker. Remaining still, knowing that it was important he would turn off the speaker so she couldn't hear, Sakura watched him.

"...Hello?" he said, then placed the phone on the kotatsu table.

"Hello, Neji! You'll never guess what's happened!" The voice belonged to Tenten.  
"Ino called me and said that Sakura's come to her senses again!" At that, Sakura's eyebrows twitched a little and she grit her teeth. _That Ino..._

"Anyway, she said to tell everyone to come to the old training grounds to say hello! After all, it's been months since we last saw her, ya know. And poor Naruto, have you seen him lately? Ino couldn't get to him, so she said she'd call Hinata, and then Hinata will call Kiba since they're on the same team, then Kiba and Akamaru can track him down and drag him over there." Tenten babbled. Neji had already raised both eyebrows in an amused manner, and Sakura stared disbelievingly at the phone. There was no way she could face all of them on her own.

"...Neji? Are you there?" Tenten asked, suddenly suspicious.  
"I am. Why are you telling me this?" he asked, sounding indifferent, yet smirking a little. Ino was obviously fast.

"What do you mean, 'why'? I'm asking you to come, too! Lee is coming as well!" she said, as if that would change his mind. Sakura was still in a state of light shock.  
"...I will come if I see it fit." he replied.

"Naruto will come, too." she added, again trying to make sure Neji came.  
"You have made your point, Tenten. I will think about it." he said, his voice slightly strict, despite his growing smirk.  
"Okay, see you." she said, then hung up. Once Neji turned to Sakura, she gave a sound of displeasure, expressing her regret.

"I can't face all of them alone! I don't have enough chakra!" she said loudly, not watching him.

"You will not need chakra. If I am not mistaken, you are going to _meet_ them, not _fight_ them." Neji said, surprising Sakura. Again. Why did he always say things that took her off guard?

Minutes later, Sakura exited through the glass door in the living room and once again walked into the garden shielded by the large wooded fence. Neji, on the other hand, left through his main door to avoid suspicion in case people would see the two of them together. At least that was what Sakura thought. He had said that he did it to gain the attention of whoever passed him while she got away unnoticed. However, as she had already left his house before without drawing attention to herself, she just didn't buy that. Was she being overly cautious?

If she was, at least it was better than being careless. Then again, paranoid was not something she wished to be labeled as.

It would take her quite a while to get there, as she had yet to recover. She didn't even have half as much chakra as usual. Despite having to meet her friends later, she still avoided people she knew while being on her way to the destined meeting area. Choosing alleys and parks, she stayed out of sight. No one noticed her. As she was a member of ANBU, specializing within 'Espinage', she easily avoided to be detected. However, being as experienced and skilled as she was, she couldn't help but notice she was being followed. Judging by the familiar chakra, it was Neji. Perhaps he didn't want to get to the old training grounds before her. By waiting until after she got there, he wouldn't get as much attention once he got there himself. That was common sense for him.

Or was he just following her to make sure she didn't run off?

Sakura grit her teeth for the seconds time that day and frowned. The sensation of her old self slowly resurfacing was undeniable. But was it good or bad? Sakura had yet to find out. Seeing as the old training grounds were getting closer every minute, she slowed down, but avoided stopping. Seconds passed, in which she could hear excited voices without straining her ears at all. Considering the sounds, she guessed that Ino had gathered quite a crowd. Not too big, yet certainly not only herself. Neji approached from behind, then walked past her and in the direction of the others soundlessly. Perhaps she should try that as well?

Deciding that it couldn't hurt, she hid her currently small amount of chakra and moved with stealth, speed and silence that only an ANBU member could muster. The trees were too small and young for her to climb in. If she tried, they would fall under her weight. Therefore, she used their leaves for shelter while slowly closing in on her friends as if they were her enemies. Sadly enough, they outnumbered her completely.

Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Lee, Tenten, Hinata, Sai and even Shino. There were others as well, including Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Yamato and Gai. The teachers obviously felt slightly out of place, with the exception of the latter, who occasionally made a 'youthful' pose and gave thumbs up in Lee's direction with that overly sparkling grin of his. Lee did, not surprisingly, return the favor. Sakura, knitting her eyebrows, searched for more people. Kiba and Akamaru weren't there, and nor was Naruto. She looked down. Having Naruto there would be a lot more comforting than just having Ino hang around her. Come to think of it, she didn't know them all that well, only a few of them.

As if on cue, loud barking was heard, and Akamaru and Kiba appeared out of nowhere. Sakura stared with wide eyes. Both of them were definitely able to smell that she was there, thanks to their sense of smell. Knowing that if she didn't move quickly, Akamaru would probably come her way and pull her back by her hair if necessary, she used 'Kawarimi no jutsu' to switch places with a random plant in the middle of the crowd. The instant she switched places, Kiba and Akamaru turned around to face her, already able to smell her new position. Was her scent really that... striking?

She felt like some kind of bad-smelling poop surrounded by an army of flies. Not good.

"SAKURA! _Where_ have you been these last months, you _Forehead-Girl!_" she heard and turned around to stand face-to-face with Ino. Sakura felt her old annoyance, yet also friendship, surface as Ino gave her a suffocating hug. Wanting to join in, Akamaru barked loudly and madly wagged its tail. He ignored the fact that he hit Kiba with it, and instead only barked more when his master told him to knock it off. Hinata timidly joined the hug with a shy expression of happiness on her face, and wished Sakura welcome back. Sakura, however, barely registered anything at all. They weren't angry? In the background Shikamaru gave a nod of approval while Choji waved a hand, holding a bag of chips in the other.

Tenten flung her arms around the two girls that were already embracing Sakura, and she was shortly followed by Lee, whose arms were tossed around them without hesitation. Lee also said something that Sakura couldn't quite comprehend, as she was surrounded, to say the least. Kakashi waved a hand from somewhere, his eye indicating that he was smiling, and Sakura mentally noted that he had actually been on time. Also, he didn't carry that book of his. Everyone seemed to smile, with the sole exception of Sai, Shino and Neji, who all remained quite stoic and indifferent. Then again, Shino _could _ be smiling behind those sunglasses, his hood and his coat collar, but she guessed she would never know if he did. She doubted it.

"We're never letting you out of sight again, now, Forehead girl!" Ino said in a confident voice. Instead of giving a nervous laugh accompanied by an apologetic smile, Sakura gave a grin and a glare that was not at all too different from that of Inner Sakura.

"Really, Ino-pig?" Sakura taunted, and Ino returned her glare. Despite the hostile looks the two gave each other, Sakura hadn't felt that good in ages. As the people hugging her slowly let go and dispersed to give her room, her glare faded into a look of wonder. Noticing that the others looked in another direction with uncertain faces, she turned around to see a close friend whose face seemed all but familiar.

Naruto.

His face carried a weary expression, and he looked tired and paler than she remembered by far. Though his face looked devoid of life, his strong, yet sad eyes pierced her own, making her flinch slightly. He looked so spiritless that it hurt her to watch him. Despite that, she kept looking at him with a frown of worry that only deepened as her emerald gaze observed the hollow, clear eyes of his. They looked more gray than blue, in a way. Even though he was as colorful as always, he looked lifeless.

Sakura held back her sudden wish to give him a hug, as she had no idea what he was thinking. If it was _her_ fault that he was like that, then what? Would he forgive her for avoiding him and for attempting to get to Sasuke on her own? As the pain in her expression increased, Naruto gave a sigh and averted his dull gaze for a split second. Then he walked closer to her. Sakura didn't move, just searched his face. In a strangely desperate attempt to find the old, lively boy that used to be so annoying, she tried swallowing the lump in her throat. What had she been doing these past months?

Then, one he was close enough, Naruto flung his arms around her. His strong grip left her breathless, literally, and his embrace strengthened by the second, leaving no room for her to escape. She shut her eyes tightly and let her head rest at his shoulder, or actually his chest, as he had grown even taller since the last time they met. He lowered his head and let it rest on top of hers, making her grow a little uncertain.

"Sakura-chan... Where were you?" she heard him ask, his voice lower and slightly darker than she remembered. While he spoke, she felt his chest vibrate against her, and when she winced a little, his determined, yet friendly grip strengthened. Then she heard him give a short, confident laugh and looked up at him in confusion. He grinned down at her, all signs of lifelessness removed, packed and sent away in imaginary boxes labeled 'Do Turn Upside Down'. His carefree demeanor returned with full force, resulting in her eyes widening considerably. His grin only widened upon seeing her surprise. She grit her teeth at her defeat and his victory.

"...Stupid Naruto." she said, frowning and narrowing her eyes, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling at the same time. If possible, his grin grew even more and he gave a sheepish laugh. He released her from his grip, and she made quite a show of moving her neck back and forth as if to try demonstrating how strong that hug had been. He gave yet another sheepish laugh, accompanied by an apologetic smile and one hand behind his head. In the corner of an eye, Sakura saw the fiery eyes of Lee as he held a shaky fist in Naruto's direction, muttering incoherent sentences. Among the words she heard, were 'rival', 'Naruto', 'youth' and 'worthy opponent'.

Sakura turned around to search for Neji, as he was the one who made her reunite with her friends; she wanted to thank him. She saw him watch Naruto with an unreadable expression. His eyes were slightly narrowed and he frowned a little, as if he concentrated about finding the solution to a particularly difficult problem. His features betrayed his interest in that particular, unknown problem, but once he turned to her, however, his features softened.

Then, for the first time in months, she gave him a wide, true smile while heartily tilting her head a little and shutting her eyes for only a brief moment. Her warm smile, though unusual, was sincere. Sakura was rewarded with a blink and slightly widened eyes, and Neji's almost white orbs stirred for a split second, taken by surprise.

* * *

-I-I-I-

Heh...


	6. Home

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Naruto or its characters. I'm just messing with them.

**Important note:** I said that this fic takes place _after_ Naruto returned to Konoha from his and Jiraya's journey. That is true, but it is still a little 'wrong'. They are all a little older now... I'm really sorry for not clarifying that...

Once and for all: They're about 17-18 years old, both of them... (But... if you don't like that, feel free to imagine that they're younger or older :)

* * *

Home

* * *

"Saaakura-chaaan..." Naruto said in a bored voice.

After meeting the others, they all went back to Konoha. Sakura vaguely wondered why they had met at the old training grounds at all. Then again, she hadn't seen her friends before she was right next to the meeting spot, thanks to the density of the trees. If Ino had decided to meet her somewhere else, like in the middle of Konoha, Sakura would've had a chance to see the others at a distance, and then she could have discreetly chosen not to show up because of that. And because Ino was Ino, she knew Sakura well, despite not having seen her for a while. At the moment they were in a small park. Most of the teachers had already left, with the exception of Gai, who was currently striding back and forth next to an enthusiastic Lee, both whom occasionally flashed her a grin when she looked in their direction.

"What is it, Naruto?" she asked, turning to watch him. He looked tired. That was a surprise; she didn't get to see him like that too often. Then again, she had nearly seen him at all lately. She couldn't blame him; it was getting darker by the minute. Judging by the fact that hours had already passed since she met the others earlier in the evening, it was now past night-time for most of them. Sakura was getting tired as well.

"You have so little chakra. Why?" Naruto asked, suspicious. She blinked.  
"...I used quite a lot on my last mission. So now, I'm recovering." she answered, looking up only to see that dark clouds covered the sky above. The only things to light the park were the street lamps.

Naruto didn't say anything; he seemed to be thinking.  
Guessing that it was about midnight, Sakura narrowed her eyes. Most of the others had left. The ones who remained were Ino, Naruto, Tenten, Hinata, Lee, Gai and Neji.

"Sakura! I doubt mum will be too pleased if I'm tired at work tomorrow. You know, a person working in a flower shop shouldn't look all grumpy and sleepy, so I think I'll get going." Ino said, giving a lopsided smile and a wave as she turned to leave the small group.

"Wait! ...I'll come with you." Sakura offered, eyeing a chance to drop off Ino before going back home to her own place unnoticed. Despite having met her friends again, she was still reluctant to let them know where she lived. Her home was a little bit like a sanctuary; a place she knew no one would find when she wanted some space.

"I will guide you there as well! With the power of youth flowing through my veins, we are bound to find the way without hesitating even once! Observe my sparkling enthusiasm, and learn upon seeing it!" Lee said, his eyes burning with the youthful passion he emitted. He and Gai made a pose, resulting in tired eyes closing for some long seconds.

In the end, the entire group came with them. After dropping Ino off, Naruto sleepily walked back to his own place, and Gai and Lee also left when Tenten mentioned that their youthfulness could be badly influenced if they didn't get enough sleep. They ran away so fast that the others were left in a cloud of dust. That left Sakura, Hinata, Tenten and Neji. They hardly spoke at all on their way, and Sakura struggled not to fall asleep while still standing. When Tenten offered to take her home, Sakura insisted that _she_ should be the one to take _them_ home, because they had all been so kind to her.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later. Bye Neji, Sakura, Hinata!" Tenten said while waving a hand. After she closed the door and the three continued walking, things became eerily quiet. Hinata was visibly uncomfortable, but smiled nonetheless. Neji didn't seem to notice, and Sakura was too tired to start a conversation. As they got closer to the Hyuuga residence, Hinata's smile widened only a little and she left the two of them.

"Good night, Neji-kun, Sakura-san..." she said, and at that, Sakura's head snapped up.  
"What? You don't need to use that honorific on my name.." she said, looking at Hinata, who blushed slightly.

"Sorry, Sakura-...chan?" she tried, and Sakura gave a resigned smile.  
"Goodnight, Hinata." she said quietly. Hinata visibly relaxed at that.

"...Good night." Neji added, slightly out of place.

After leaving, the two of them continued their small 'walk'. A while passed in which they walked next to each other, but then Sakura realized that she and Neji they were walking in circles. She had been following Neji. What was going on? Her tired mind came to the conclusion that while she followed _him,_ he followed _her._ In other words, both of them were waiting for the other one to go home first. Sakura increased her speed. She wasn't going home this time; on the contrary. In fact, she was heading to Neji's place. There was no way she would let Neji find out where she lived.

But then again, he had let her stay at his place for quite a while. She owed him. Even so, what if he told the others where she lived? Sakura didn't get to think too much about that before arriving in front of Neji's house, feeling slightly guilty. Her combination of guilt, tiredness and lack of chakra didn't make her feel too good. Also, she was hungry.

"...Good night, Sakura." she heard Neji say in a quiet voice. She looked at him where he was standing in front of his open front door. Because of the light from inside, she only saw his silhouette. The sole exception was his pearly eyes, which carried a striking white and silver color, slightly tinted with a purple shade. They were slightly narrowed, not in suspicion, but in thought.

"Goodnight... Neji." she replied, barely audible. His name felt strange to say, because she wasn't sure if she should use an honorific or not. Saying 'Neji-kun' would be strange though, as she was used to say 'Sasuke-kun'. Then again, saying only 'Neji' meant that they were closer, in a way. And considering the fact that he was actually a year older than her, she could also say 'Neji-san'. But she was in ANBU, and he was a jounin.

Sakura frowned and her mouth formed a thin line as her train of thought continued to race. However, once Neji shifted slightly, she trailed off. Waving a hand, she turned and left, walking silently without a sound. Even in her current state, she moved without making any noise at all.

Seeing as she was alone in the dark streets at the moment, she concealed her chakra as much as she could and increased her speed. She wasn't afraid; she merely took it as a challenge. If she could get all the way to her apartment without being spotted, that would be considered a victory.

Unsurprisingly, Sakura made it there without arising even the slightest suspicion. She entered through the roof window with a specialized key unlike any other. If people wanted to get in, they had to use force. That way, Sakura would be able to tell if people had been there or not. She flashed an awkward smile to no one in particular. Who would want to break into her apartment when they didn't even know who lived there? Sakura partially blamed her ANBU membership; members often tended to be overly cautious out of habit.

The entire upper floor of the large building was hers. The building was not only big, it was also round, which was not an unusual sight in Konoha in general. On the outside, it was covered in old wires and plants, as well as other gadgets that weren't in use. Inside, however, the rooms were big and clean, and the ceiling was high. All of the rooms had white or very light walls, and the ceiling was also white. The vintage oak flooring covered the entire apartment floor, except for the bathroom, in which the large, white wall tiles were accompanied by dark blue floor tiles. The apartment was adorned with only a few small windows, all of which had long, veil-like curtains and wood blinds.

Her furniture was simple. Most of it was black, crimson red, or scarlet. Sakura had a vague idea where she had picked up those colors; a certain Uchiha had surely influenced her with his equally dark hair and red eyes. Of some reason, she didn't spend too much time in her living room at all. It was too... _dreary._ Which was why she hurried to find herself some old, yet well-preserved food and quickly eating before going to bed. Her bedroom was also plain; a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe closet contained everything she needed of clothes, and a small drawer next to her bed provided her with necessary items. Her bed was small - unlike the large one she had been using when she was at Neji's place – and the sheets were a very light shade of pink. On her drawer was a picture of the old Team Seven.

Sakura fell asleep the instant her head landed on the pillow.

* * *

The next morning, Neji started his day by letting go of some steam. Training was necessary. Despite his already high level, he still hadn't reached his limit. He knew that if he became content with his current skill level, he would not improve. However, if he kept telling himself that he could do better, he _would _do better.

There was more to Neji's home than what met the passing eyes. Not only the garden hidden by the large wooden fence, but also something else. This house had been in given to him by the Head of the Hyuuga family when Neji moved out of his old quarters. It had belonged to his father, and Neji held it dear. And since his father had been a jounin as well, he had made an own room for training. It was under the house, and had most likely been built before the house itself. All Neji had to do was to go into his garden and open a certain hatch partially hidden by the branches of the weeping willow tree.

The room was as large as the house on top of it, but the length from the ceiling to the floor was much larger. This training room, despite being underground under his house, was as tall as a three-story building. Only very few knew of it, some in the Hyuuga clan, as well as his team.

Already having grown tired of practicing with kunais and targets, as they didn't pose a problem, Neji had moved on to more difficult tasks.

Neji shut his eyes upon remembering the time when he was sent on a mission to retrieve Sasuke. With Shikamaru as the leader, and Naruto, Choji, Kiba and himself as team members, they left to find the young Uchiha. At that time, Neji's skills were already way above those of an average genin. He had almost died fighting that spidery Sound Nin. On his own, he had found many of the jutsus that originally 'belonged' to the Main Family of the Hyuugas. In the chuunin exam, he had met Naruto and fought him with his pride at stake, yet when he lost, he had found out something else; that fate could be changed. Fate was not predestined, according to what Naruto said about five years ago. Some had called Neji a genius already then.

What he was back then was _nothing_ compared to what he was now.

He'd had quite a lot of time to improve, and he had taken his opportunities and chosen well. Many of the Hyuuga secrets had been revealed to him, and many of them had been improved by himself. He had his very own jutsus as well.

Naruto had been with Jiraya for a little more than two years. After returning, Sakura had shown what she was capable of in their missions, but Neji had never truly found out how strong she was. In the many months that followed, she didn't change much. But after a long while she gradually slipped away, and seemingly avoided seeing others unless she found it necessary. Then she stopped meeting her friends altogether. At least that was what Neji thought, if he was to take Tenten's explanation into consideration. Sakura had, without the others knowing it, become a jounin. Then a member of ANBU. That took a lot of skills.

As for himself, Neji was perfectly aware that he could become a member of ANBU any time if he wished to. But that meant choosing a path overshadowed by several dangerous missions, and it had effects on all the members. Some forgot their feelings; like Sai. Others lost friends. There was a large risk to take, and not many were willing to take it. Neji didn't like the sound of that.

However, the Head of the Hyuuga Clan had other plans.

Hiashi Hyuuga had, though very discreetly, suggested something along the lines of ANBU membership for Neji. Apparently, he was of the opinion that Neji's skills were too good to waste. Hiashi respected Neji, but did, under _no_ circumstances, want for Neji to fall behind or throw away his abilities. He was too valuable. Besides, because Neji was the son of his deceased twin brother, Hiashi wanted only the best for him. But 'the best' in Hiashi's opinion was not always 'the best' from Neji's point of view. Until now, Neji had managed to avoid talking about ANBU when Hiashi was around.

In a way, Neji was torn between his wish for total freedom and his wish to be acknowledged.  
Sakura had a similar problem. She was torn between living her own life with her friends, and doing everything she could to retrieve Sasuke.

Speaking of Sasuke... He had undoubtedly grown even stronger. From what Neji had gathered, Sasuke and his team, Hebi, were still chasing after Uchiha Itachi. Neji couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke would come back to Konoha at all, even if he _did _manage to complete his revenge. And if he came back, how would the others act around him? Surely, acting completely normal would be impossible when they knew that Sasuke had been a missing-nin the last years. And he doubted Sasuke would be able to just 'drop off' his new teammates somewhere and leave them in order to return to Konoha.

Sighing, Neji shook his head. He was already tired from his training, and now he was thinking as if there was no tomorrow. There was plenty of time to use for thinking later. For now, he had trained enough. After turning off the lights, he went up the ladder and stepped into an inlet in the wall before opening the hatchet leading to his garden. Then he walked through the haven of his, moving the veil of branches out of his way as he swiftly moved to the glass sliding-door. Once inside, he took a shower and changed into black jounin pants and a white, loose-fitting tank top.

Once he was done, he heard someone knock at the door. Neji grabbed his headband and put it on before heading to open the door. Who could it be? The options were many. With the efficiency of a highly skilled jounin, Neji considered the possibilities on his way to the door. It could be Gai, Lee or Tenten, or it could be someone from the Hyuuga clan. It could also be an ANBU member sent by the Hokage with a mission for him.

It turned out to be the latter.

"Hyuuga Neji." the ANBU member said once Neji opened the door, and he nodded. The ninja, whose face was hidden by a porcelain mask, handed him a scroll. The ninja disappeared right after Neji accepted it. Neji, not at all fazed by the disappearance of the man, went back inside with the scroll.

He didn't fail to notice the small tingle of excitement upon opening the it. What mission could it be? Was the mission of such importance that the scroll said nothing about it, but told him to come to the Hokage herself in order to find our more about it? Then again, it could just be a message. But judging by the fact that an ANBU member had delivered it, Neji doubted that. He opened the scroll and pulled it out to read.

_Hyuuga Neji._

_Your presence is required tomorrow, eight o'clock, in my office.  
You and a number of others will leave on a mission at noon, after receiving the necessary details._

_-Tsunade_

Neji raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. For the Hokage to sign the letter was not usual, but it wasn't exactly unheard of. She usually only called ANBU members in person. Other ninjas were called by Shizune most of the time, and mission scrolls were not usually signed. Neji found he should be honored, but he was also slightly wary. He wasn't afraid, only curious. Whatever could be this important?

One thing was for sure.

His weapons would need to be polished.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
...and his hair will, of course, be made presentable for the mission. Also, the next chappie will be more actiony. Or something.

_Me luffs deh reviews!-!-!-1-!-!-1-!!-!-one-!-1-!_


	7. Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters...  
**Warning:** This chapter is a cliffhanger. Bad cliffy. Next update will be... around the weekend.  
Also, I have a small fanart-thingy for this on my deviantart page. You can find the link on my profile.  
Thank you so much for the lovely reviews!

Okay, I'm done now.

* * *

Mission

* * *

"Is everyone here now? ...Good." Tsunade said, with her elbows on her desk and her hands folded.

Her desk was, for once, not filled to the edge with undone paperwork. A tattered scroll was in front of her, which she had yet to mention for the others at all. The ones present were Neji, Kiba and Akamaru, Sakura and Sai. It wasn't really the most usual combination. There were no teachers there, but that was not needed. The four ninjas were old enough and capable of taking care of themselves, surely.

"First off, the reason I summoned you here in person..." Tsunade started, and closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"I would have made Shizune write the scrolls, but she is busy at the hospital for now. Several ANBU squads have been scouting around Konoha and have reported unusually high activity at the borders. No enemies have been spotted, but we still need to be safe." she started, making sure to have eye contact with each of them at least once before she continued.

"Many of our ANBU squads are in the hidden village of Sand to protect Gaara during his negotiations with the neighboring countries. Thus, Konoha is left practically defenseless until they get back next week. I have already sent some teams out to patrol, and they will report back to me if anything troublesome happens..." she said. At this, Neji spoke.

"Which teams have you sent?" he asked. Tsunade, as if expecting his question, smirked.

"First team, in the north-east: Naruto, Hinata, Lee and Shikamaru. I trust Shikamaru to be in control, and with Hinata to scout and the spirit of Lee and Naruto, I doubt enemies will like bumping into them." the Hokage said.  
"Second team, in the south-east: Tenten, Choji, Shino, Ino. Tenten specializes in weapons, Choji and Ino are good with jutsus, and Shino's bugs are good for tracking. Besides, despite being quite silent, I believe Shino is perfectly capable of being in control. The others had better not question his decisions." she said, and Neji narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Finally, I sent your teachers in different teams with some other chuunins. They are currently patrolling in the north, east, south, south-west, and the west. That leaves north-west for your team." Tsunade said in a serious voice, despite looking slightly bored. Neji frowned a little, considering her information carefully.

"But why those teams? Why not our original teams?" he asked, and Tsunade sighed.

"...It has to do with which areas are the most dangerous. Also, I have taken into consideration the preferred battle areas and battle styles in case you were to get into a fight. For instance, Shino's bugs and Tenten's weapons are a nice combination. While Tenten distracts the enemies, Shino's bug can sneak closer and poison them. Choji and Ino have jutsus fit for each other because they're in the same team. I sent Naruto north because there... he can't do too much damage. He and Lee make a good combination, with Lee's taijutsus and Naruto's jutsus. Hinata can scout the area while Shikamaru keeps them all under supervision." Tsunade explained, looking at Neji with her dark brown eyes.

"Tsunade-shishou, what about our team?" Sakura asked. Neji vaguely wondered how the Hokage had managed to give her the scroll if she didn't know where Sakura lived. Perhaps she had just given her a call.

"Because north-west is a dangerous area. You are a medic, but make an excellent fighter as well, so you raise the defense of the team considerably. Sai has been a member of the ANBU Root division for who knows when, which gives you a tactical upper hand. He also has that nifty painting jutsu of his. That can come in handy. Kiba and Akamaru, you are excellent trackers, and as soon as you're able to smell the enemy, Neji can give you their exact position with his Byakugan. Use your brains well, and cooperate." Tsunade said, boosting their confidence. Neji didn't doubt that the Hokage knew what she was doing.

"You will leave at noon today and patrol until I send ANBU to take your place. Since most of them are still in the hidden village of Sand, that will take days, at least." she explained.

"...And one more thing. If you spot an enemy, report with a falcon or any other summon. Do _not_ engage in battle unless absolutely necessary. Wait for reinforcements before attacking. If they encounter you, however... Do what you do best." she added, her eyes glancing at Sakura, whose fists were clenched. Neji blinked at the sight. Sakura had apparently gone too long without a mission. Or perhaps...

Perhaps she hoped she would see Sasuke again.

"Dismissed." Tsunade declared.

Neji was already dressed for the mission, so he head plenty of time. Now that he knew what kind of mission it was, he returned to his house and found some of his more useful scrolls with jutsus to be used with his Byakugan. They were all found by himself, some were originally secret jutsus of the Main Hyuuga family, and the others were his very own versions of the same jutsus. After putting the scrolls in his bag, as well as bringing some extra clothes because he wasn't sure when they'd get back to Konoha, he left his house and locked the door, then put a small seal so no one could enter when he was gone. They'd have to wait until he returned.

Still having some time before noon, he walked down the streets slowly while watching the activity. The children ran around, hiding, playing and having fun. Their parents, most of them not ninjas, also seemed pleased. None of them were aware that for all they knew, they could be in grave danger. If Neji and the rest of his team also went to have fun, instead of patrolling, enemies could come any minute. The villagers didn't always know what the ninjas risked in order to protect their village. At least not all of them. Did they take their safety for granted? He pondered his thoughts. He went on missions willingly; it didn't matter if the villagers knew or not. Konoha needed to be safe, that was all.

After a while he passed the ramen stand that Naruto was known to like so well. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten a whole lot for breakfast. Neji stopped. The scent of food from inside eventually got the best of him and he ordered a bowl before heading to the Konoha gate.

As ready as ever, he arrived at the main gate. He was fifteen minutes early, but Kiba and Akamaru were already there, both looking excited.

"Kiba. Akamaru." Neji said once they were close enough to hear.  
"Ah, Neji! Ready to kick some enemy butt?" Kiba asked, and Akamaru barked loudly while wagging his tail. That dog was huge. It's size was that of a tiger, at _least. _  
"We are supposed to patrol, not fight. Even if we spot enemies, we have to wait for reinforcements." Neji stated, and Kiba gave a bored, loud sigh.

"...Anyway, have you been eating ramen? I can smell it." Kiba said, making Neji twitch slightly. Perhaps he shouldn't have eaten ramen after all.  
"Man, now I'm hungry!" Kiba complained, and Akamaru gave a displeased bark. They had looked really enthusiastic a minute ago, but now they were all down. Was that his fault? Neji's mouth formed a thin line as his eyebrow twitched when stomach growling was heard from the two in front of him.

"Hi Neji, Kiba, Akamaru." they heard, and turned to see Sakura, all ready for the mission. She wore her pink top, beige skirt and black shorts, and her backpack was seemingly stuffed. Neji didn't fail to notice the kunais that were partly sticking out from her equally stuffed pouch. Sai came only seconds after her. He said nothing to greet his teammates, but gave a rather fake smile upon seeing them.

"Hi, Sai." Sakura tried. As he turned to her, his fake smile grew a little.

"Oh, so you're here after all?" he asked, his smile intact.  
"Yeah, why?" Sakura asked, suspicious.

"I was wondering if you'd run away like a coward, like you've been doing these last months." he said, his fake smile even faker, yet wider. Neji mentally frowned at his words, but turned to Sakura. She had a painfully real-looking smile on her face, but Neji knew all to well that it wasn't meant to express her happiness. On the contrary.

"We'll see who ends up running, _Sai._" Sakura said in a disturbingly kind voice that was somehow frighteningly threatening at the same time.

Despite the unspoken threats earlier, they moved fast without offering each other too much negative attention. Normally it would have taken them a little less than two days to get there, but they traveled at high speed. Using trees for shelter every time they sensed people, they managed to stay out of sight. Not once did they see others ninjas. The only ones they saw were villagers or traders, and even some small caravans. They stayed unnoticed at all times. If people got to know that there were ninjas roaming about, rumors would spread. They didn't want that.

The team stopped once they got to a fitting camp site. It was quite well hidden by several layers of different bushes and trees, both large and small. The ground was covered in heather plants, which were partially shielded from view by tall grass. It could serve as a a cushioning base for their thin mattresses. The heavy, old branches above barely let them see the crescent moon above, which made it hard for them to see anything at all in the darkness. Kiba made a small fire while being careful not to let it grow out of control. Akamaru found some old, dry branches nearby.

"So... Where will we patrol tomorrow?" Kiba asked, while keeping his eyes on the fire. After asking, he put half of his packed lunch in his mouth and chewed loudly. Akamaru wagged his tail so violently that Sakura got a little worried about the fire.

"I'd say we split into groups of two. It could be dangerous to go all alone, and we may not find anything if all four of us go. If we split up, we'll be able to cover a larger area." Sakura suggested, and relaxed when Kiba threw some food at Akamaru and the dog calmed down. He gulped it in and swallowed it in only seconds.

"...I agree." Kiba said after finishing chewing his own food. He seemed to be thinking.  
"But who goes with who?" he added, and turned to look at the others. Sakura did the same. First she looked at Kiba and Akamaru, then to Sai, who watched as the large, white dog discreetly stole Kiba's food, and finally Neji. Their eyes met. Thinking he had a suggestion, she kept watching him until he spoke.

"...Both Kiba and I are good trackers, and each team should have a tracker in case enemies are nearby." Neji said, and Sakura smiled before turning to Sai.

"So, who do you want to be with?" she asked him, and his expressionless features were broken by yet another fake smile.  
"I was hoping to be with you, to make sure you don't run away." he mocked. Sakura frowned and felt one of her eyebrows twitch.

"I'd rather be with Neji or Kiba, thank you..." she muttered. Sai, still smiling that fake smile of his, found his lunch. Only a second later Akamaru was all over him, barking and wagging his tail like crazy. Kiba gave a sheepish grin.

"Eh... You brought some sort of meat, didn't you, Sai..." he said quietly as Akamaru was shoved away from the pale ninja. Sai was not fazed at all, despite having lost his lunch to the drooling dog. Akamaru, pleased with himself, swaggered back to Kiba. Sakura eyed a chance.

"Well, Sai... Since Akamaru likes you so much, you're stuck with Kiba." she said, earning four sets of eyes looking at her. Kiba shrugged, and Sai gave her a smile that she found painfully false. Akamaru gave a bark of approval. As a response, Sai found yet another piece of food, this time without meat on it.

* * *

Before sunrise the next day, they had all packed and readied themselves. All traces of their stay were erased. The remains of the fire were hidden, and the only thing left was their scent, according to Kiba, and that would disappear as soon as it started raining. The two teams went in opposite directions, Sakura and Neji continued north-east, and Kiba, Akamaru and Sai went south-west. They kept in touch via headphones, but due to the wide area they had to patrol, they soon went out of reach. Thus, the two teams didn't hear from each other at all.

However, they met in the evening again and exchanged the information they had found. It wasn't much. No one had seen any ninjas. Neji had used his Byakugan to have a closer look at a village, which was, like Tsunade had told them, quite active. People looked nervous; they seemed stressed. There was a possibility they were working under pressure. Perhaps some ninjas had told them to cooperate without asking questions. There were no signs of ninjas there, though. But for all they knew, non-ninja contacts could be lurking around; traders working with or for enemy ninjas.

Their two teams kept up their scouting and patrolled the area the following three days as well, but without bumping into anyone.

Sakura vaguely wondered if Naruto or the others had found something, but kept it to herself. She was alert at all times and made sure not to space out. Her memories, however, returned every night. Not as dreams, only as vague, colorless pictures in her mind. The others seemed to be unaffected. Kiba and Akamaru didn't take the mission too seriously, but did their best anyway, and Sai came with his striking remarks when he shouldn't, occasionally smiling that fake smile of his. Neji was... quiet. He didn't speak much, and glanced at her every now and then. Sakura had a vague feeling telling her that he didn't think she had fully recovered yet.

That was true enough. Her chakra was not as high as usual, but it was still recovering.

On their fourth day, with rain pouring down without stopping, Sakura was getting weary. Kiba and Akamaru didn't mind getting dirty and could probably walk for weeks without wanting to take a shower. Sai and Neji stayed clean in some sort of supernatural way that bothered her to no end. They weren't dirty at all. What was their secret? Sakura herself wasn't unkempt, but she was most certainly not _clean._ She needed a bath, and would do almost anything for a chance to have one. The rain didn't make it any better, it only made things worse. Despite the fact that her chakra was almost fully recovered, Neji still offered occasional glances in her direction.

Perhaps he silently urged her to have a bath because she smelled. Speaking of which, could Kiba and Akamaru smell her?

"Hey." Sai said to get their attention. Once he had it, he continued.  
"...Don't get on Sakura's nerves now. She'll beat you to a pulp." he said, only as a side comment. Sakura held back a growl and gave a strained smile instead.

"No. I'll beat you into the next century. Then I'll heal you, and after that, I'll beat you into the next millennium." she said, her voice monotone and as strained as her smile. Sai immediately returned to the main subject.

"Anyway, look here." he said, holding up a scroll. A falcon appeared from behind him and took off into the air and left. When did that get there? Sai opened the scroll and read out aloud.

"_Sakura, Sai, Neji, Kiba... and Akamaru.  
The ANBU squads have returned from the Hidden Village of Sand.  
When they arrived, they were sent straight to the current patrolling teams.  
Once they get to you, you can let them take over and __come back to Konoha__.  
-Shizune._"

"Thank goodness..." Sakura muttered. Solo missions were much better in her opinion; she got to choose where, when and how to do things, and she could also take a bath without worrying about being seen or stopped. She couldn't help but feel relieved upon imagining the bath that awaited her back in Konoha.

"Don't be too pleased. Before tomorrow, we may still encounter a horde of S-ranked criminals ready to slaughter, massacre, cut, slice, torture and slowly kill us." Said said, smiling at her, almost genuinely happy. Almost. She'd had enough; she couldn't wait one more minute.

"Okay... Before that happens, I'll have a bath. Don't you dare to peek." she warned, and got to her feet, holding her backpack.

"Who would want to spy on _you_?" Sai asked in a monotone voice, and was rewarded as Sakura glared at him with dangerously cold eyes. Then she turned around and stomped away, each of her steps leaving a considerable crater where she walked. No one spoke a single word when she left, except for Akamaru, whose whimpering was muffled by who she guessed was Kiba. Luckily for her, the craters she left were quite conveniently covered by the countless bushes, heather plants and tall grass. Regaining her self-control, she hid her chakra and made her way to the closest river.

It didn't take long to clean herself and her hair, as the icy water only made her hurry even more than she usually did. After about five minutes of bathing and ridding herself of mud and dirt, she got dressed in some new clothes from her backpack. She doubted they would stay dry too long if she stayed in the rain, though, so she had to hurry back to the others and put up her small tent. At least it kept water out and warmth in. After walking for about half a minute, however, she came to a halt. Something was wrong.

Still concealing her chakra, being alert to her surroundings, she turned to her left slowly.

The one looking back at her was none other than _Sasuke._

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Fu-fu-fuuu... This is a cliffhanger, no?

Um... do you like this story so far? Which are your favourite parts of the story?  
Hint: You can post anonymous reviews as well, you know... if you want to... :)


	8. Encounter

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.  
Ugh. I got my grades for last semester, and I'm _not_ pleased. I have to work harder. (-sulks-) Sorry if my mood affects the story . . .

Sorry for the cliffy..? Little warning: This chapter won't be much better in that sense... BUT! Next chapter will be up soon enough.

* * *

Encounter

* * *

With eyes as black as coal, Sasuke looked back at her with only slight interest. Beyond the fact that he probably didn't expect to see _Sakura_ of all people, he was not particularly surprised, if she judged by his expression. He wore the same clothes he had worn back when Naruto, Sai, Yamato and Sakura herself went to retrieve him years ago, and his face had not changed much at all. His build, however, was different. He was a little taller, his shoulders were slightly broader, and he had some scars that were barely visible on his hands, as well as a few larger ones on his partially exposed shoulders. He was soaked by the falling rain, but paid no attention to it.

Sasuke looked much stronger than before. By _far_.

"...Sakura, huh?" he asked silently in a monotone voice, narrowing his eyes while watching her. With a slightly open mouth and wide eyes, she stared back. She had never expected meeting Sasuke, not then, not there. She was speechless, and had no idea what to do. Wasn't this what she had been waiting for? Hadn't she planned for years what to do once she found him? But she hadn't found him; _he_ had found _her_. Judging from his barely visible surprise when he saw her, their meeting was only coincidence.

Seeing that she didn't move, much less speak, he frowned slightly.

"You haven't changed much." he said in a low voice, tilting his head back just enough for him to look down at her. Snapping out of her temporary daze, Sakura quickly considered her options. She was still hiding her chakra, and so was Sasuke. Should she alert the others on her team, or would that make Sasuke get out of there before she could even blink?

"Sasuke." she said, frowning uncertainly. Then she blinked, noticing that she had left out the honorific she had always used when speaking with him. This seemed to amuse him, as he arched his eyebrows slightly.  
Then she blinked once, and when her eyes opened, he was right in front of her, holding his katana sword at her neck.

"Who are you to call my name in such a manner?" he asked, testing her.

Sakura frowned and moved one hand up to the blade slowly, never looking away from his cold, ebony orbs. He let her do it, and she took hold of the blade with her bare hand she didn't wear her gloves, as they were in the backpack in her opposite hand. Once her hand tightened around the sharp blade, Sasuke's eyes narrowed. None of them moved as Sasuke let his eyes move from her face to the katana at her neck.

"How will that help you? You are only hurting yourself." he stated coldly. As if to demonstrate, he moved his sword a little, and Sakura grit her teeth. Then she let go of her backpack and moved her other hand to the blade as well, and tried to tear it out of his grip. She only partially succeeded. Her chakra powered arms and fists managed to take his sword away from him, but her tight grip made the sword damage her hand. As she loosened her grip she lost it, and the katana spun around in the air before landing in a grove a fair distance away.

Frowning, Sakura grit her teeth again. She had failed; her goal was to break the sword, not to throw it away. The blade was too strong. No wonder; it _was_ Sasuke's, after all. Sasuke, however, seemed impressed enough to only have his sword torn out of his grip. Despite remaining expressionless, his Sharingan was now activated. Once he turned back to face her, he flashed a smirk.

"Compressed chakra to increase your strength, huh, Sakura? ...Impressive. It'll be useful, no doubt." he said, barely audible at all. Despite knowing it was dangerous, she kept looking into his red eyes his crimson orbs with three jet-black commas each, which were ready to perform almost genjutsu. She was good at dispelling illusions herself, but against an Uchiha, she was taking a large risk.

"Still, I doubt it'll be enough with just that." he said. Gathering her courage, Sakura spoke.

"I'm not as weak as I was back then." she said, determined, yet intimidated by the mere aura of power that surrounded him, despite the fact that he hid his chakra.

"Really? ...Why don't you prove it?" he suggested in way that suggested he didn't believe her at all. For him, she was still the same old, weak girl that hung around him whenever she had the chance. Considering how he looked, Sasuke held no interest in her at all at the moment. She was just a way of passing time.

Sakura frowned, not unwilling to prove him wrong. If she knocked him out, she could even bring him back to Konoha, and she had already ridden him of his sword, which made things a little easier. Her hands were bleeding, but she ignored it if she healed them, she would waste valuable chakra. Chakra that she needed in order to fight and to heal more serious injuries. Besides, the fresh blood could come in handy if she decided to use summons. The second her frown deepened and her eyes hardened, Sasuke jumped back and observed her with a trace of amusement visible in his crimson orbs.

Glancing around quickly, she scanned the surroundings. There were plenty of trees, young and old, tall and short. If she grabbed a large tree, it would take longer time for her to move it, and her chakra would be drained fast. A small tree wouldn't do. Spotting a perfect tree behind Sasuke, she dashed in his direction. He seemed to see that she was not aiming for her, because his eyes narrowed and he glanced to his right; where he believed she would go. Sure enough, she passed him on his right side and continued until she was next to a tall tree. Its trunk was only a little thicker than her thigh, and was perfect for what she had in mind. Without stopping, she took hold of the tree with two chakra infused arms and hands, then pulled the tree out of the ground.

Taken aback, Sasuke's eyes widened for only the shortest of moments at the sight. He had never seen her use her rumored strength like that. Sakura guessed he had heard about it, yes, but she doubted he had believed it before now. Taking advantage of his temporary surprise, she swung the tree in his direction in less than a second. He jumped into the air just in time to avoid the hit, but Sakura jerked the tree back and moved it up at an exceptional speed. Sasuke used a jutsu to switch places with an old, rotten tree trunk, and watched from his new position as it was smashed into countless splinters in his place. Narrowing his eyes, he turned his attention back to the pink-haired Sakura.

She looked back at him, knowing he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice he had already regained his composure. How could she defeat him? No, how could she even damage him in the first place? Seeing that he turned and ran in the direction of his sword, Sakura inwardly cursed and chased him with chakra-powered legs, while at the same time balancing the tree on her right shoulder. In the corner of an eye, she saw her bloodied hands and the hand prints they left on the tree.

Having no time to worry about that, she once again tightened her grip around it and raised it off her shoulder, then swung it towards him again, and he jumped out of the way once more. The tree hit many other trees, not saving anything in its way. However, once Sasuke had the chance, he ran for the katana again. Sakura grit her teeth and dashed forward while swinging the tree in his direction as fast as she could. If her chakra infused hands couldn't break that sword, it would mean trouble if Sasuke got hold of it again. This time he would _not_ hold back.

In only seconds, they were back at the river in which she had taken a bath earlier. That no longer showed at all; thanks to her damaged hands, the rain and the tree she held, she was dirty and muddy from their fight.

Sakura dropped the tree to the ground and chased Sasuke upstreams for quite a while, until they got to a small waterfall in the mountain landscape. Watching as he stopped right next to the it, partially shrouded in the fog left by the falling water, she was ready to counter, dodge, or block any attack he directed against her. His eyes revealed nothing, but she could tell he wanted her off his back. Faster than she could see, he formed some hand seals and brought his hands to his mouth. The last thing she saw before the jutsu started working, was his smirk. Why did he smirk? Was it because she was stronger than he thought, or was it because he knew he'd be able to defeat her no matter what she did? Her thoughts came to a halt as a fireball started growing in front of him, and in less than a second it was all over the place.

Shocked, she jumped back while shielding her face with her arms. The scolding warmth burned her already damaged hands and blemished her arms, leaving black marks and burns. Once the fireball stopped, Sasuke looked at her in something akin to disappointment. He had obviously expected her to be able to avoid that. Angry, and unable to form hand signs properly, Sakura used her chakra to heal the worst burns. Her hands were shaking from overexertion in their current poor state.

But Sasuke wasn't planning to wait for her to finish the healing of her wounds. In the blink of an eye he was right in front of her.

Temporarily stopping her flowing chakra, she jumped back. He followed at her speed, even though she knew he could move faster. Frowning, she grit her teeth as she stopped, then jumped forward, over Sasuke. After Sakura landed, she ran in the direction of the waterfall again. He followed while smirking in confidence. If he though he could scare her back to Konoha, he was wrong. Once she was close enough to the mountain wall next to the waterfall, Sakura charged both of her legs with chakra, and stomped the ground as hard as she could.

The impact of her concentrated chakra made the ground split under their feet, and Sasuke moved his attention to the ground. Then Sakura kicked the mountain wall behind her with her other leg, not saving her chakra. The mountain made some highly disturbing sounds before literally exploding, leaving countless boulders to fall down while the ground was still cracking and breaking into pieces below them. Sakura knew it was dangerous for both of them, but also knew she could heal them both if they were injured. Only if Sasuke was left unconscious, that is. However, his skills were undeniable; Sasuke was perfectly capable of getting away without serious injuries.

Sakura directed her attention to the falling stones and boulders, and punched them away as they fell in her direction, only partially thankful for the rain. The falling water made the stones slippery and wet, but cooled down her aching red hands. Also, slippery and wet boulders were much better than clouds of smoke caused by dry weather and dust.

When the rumbling ground and the falling stones finally stopped moving, Sakura was breathing heavily, and she couldn't see Sasuke anywhere. Looking around, she couldn't find him. The beautiful scenery had been ruined by their fighting, leaving nothing but moss-infested boulders and earth-covered tree trunks. Sakura scanned the surroundings. Had Sasuke escaped? The mere thought made her lower her guard in disappointment. And that was all it took for her to lose the fight.

A piercing sensation ran through her chest and her eyes snapped down to see a silver blade bathed in red.  
Sasuke's sword.

* * *

Kiba and the three others sat in their newly readied tent, waiting for the mood to get better. Akamaru was outside chasing a rabbit, his ear-splitting barks deafening the ninjas. A thundering sound was heard somewhere in the distance, and the barking stopped. Then Akamaru's head appeared in the opening of the tent. Seeing as it rained, they shoved off the noise as thunder, and watched as Akamaru shook water out of his fur before entering.

"You know, I had this weird dream last night. I dreamt that you, Sai, had grown beard so you could become Hokage. But then you, Neji, said that only _special_ people could become Hokage. That obviously gave you a better chance to become Hokage, because you looked more special. You had Tenten's hair buns and a moustache. Beat that!" Kiba told them, trying to raise the mood and failing miserably. Sai was rusty in the emotion department, Kiba thought, and Neji just felt insulted. Kiba let his shoulders fall upon seeing that his dream was not as funny as he had found it.

"Wait... That thunder..." Neji suddenly said, turning tense. That caught their attention.  
"...There was no lightning before we heard the thunder." he explained.

"That means... It wasn't thunder?" Kiba asked. His thoughts turned to the craters Sakura created with her feet upon leaving, and he paled a little in realization.  
Could it be that Sakura was fighting someone?

Sasuke got up with some difficulties, shoving the heavy boulder off him with some help from chakra infused arms. Though he hated to admit it, Sakura was far better than him at that. His chakra control was probably better than hers, but she was able to gather much more chakra at one place without it causing damage to herself. Gritting his teeth in annoyance because of his few injuries, he refocused on the pink-haired ninja that he had once labeled as 'weak'. That was no longer the case. Even so, she now seemed to be nearly knocked out.

But then his eyes narrowed as he saw the reason for her slouched stance.  
His sword. How?

Realization dawned on him as he saw a red-haired person peek over her shoulder. Moving her glasses back in place with two fingers, Karin winked in his direction once she saw him. Obviously pleased with her feat of stabbing Sakura from behind, she flashed Sasuke a grin and blushed. Meanwhile, Sakura had spotted him and looked at him in disbelief. Sasuke narrowed his own eyes once he noticed that they were widened. He watched Sakura's wide, emerald eyes; the black pupils were so small they was hardly visible at all. After staring in shock for some long seconds, Sakura turned her head slowly to see who had stabbed her. Had she, by any chance, thought that _he_ did that?

"What the- Don't you dare to watch me, you filth! What do you think you're doing, trying to hurt Sasuke?!" Karin shouted, and jerked the sword up somewhat, making Sakura cough repeatedly for some long seconds before continuing her labored breathing.

"Tsch." Karin added, as if Sakura wasn't worthy of her time, then turned her attention back to Sasuke.  
"So... How're you going to pay me back for saving you?" she said, a wide smirk playing at her lips. Sasuke frowned and got to his feet fully before straightening his back.

"...You didn't save me. Even if you wouldn't have come, I would have been perfectly capable of defeating Sakura myself, Karin." he stated monotonously, his voice dark. Sakura looked back at him, her eyes filled with tears that she was not letting fall, not now, nor later.

"Aaah? _This_ brat is the Sakura you mentioned before? Heh, no wonder she was so easy to stab." Karin mentioned, as if she wasn't there. Upon noticing yet another presence, however, Sasuke turned to see Suigetsu. The blue-skinned man looked much like Kisame, only he was younger. That was good in the long run. He could even be a worthy opponent for Kisame while Sasuke took care of his brother. As for Juugo, the final member of their team, he could take on almost any enemy and kill them without hesitation if he were to lose control.

"Hey, Juugo is waiting, Sasuke, Karin." Suigetsu said, seemingly bored. He took a sip of water from the bottle he held, then noticed Sakura. Once he did, a toothy grin replaced his bored expression.

"Good timing, Suigetsu. I'll get Sasuke back to the camp and tell Juugo to come over here, then I'll tend to your wounds." Karin said in a bossy voice.  
"Forget it, Juugo stays to guard you two. I'll take care of this little ninja while you get out of here. Other ninjas are coming." Suigetsu informed.

At that, Karin happily jerked Sasuke's katana down before pulling it out again, then watched as Sakura fell to her knees. Supporting herself with burned, injured hands, she coughed up blood and tried to calm her ragged breath. Not wasting time, Karin placed her free hand on Sasuke's back and pushed him out of there. They didn't get far before he stopped, though, and she watched in annoyance as he glanced back at Sakura. Much to Karin's chagrin, Sakura looked back at him with pained, pleading eyes and blood running down from her partially open mouth.

"Saaasuke, don't worry. Suigetsu won't kill her off, he'll just make sure she never bothers you again!" Karin said in a strained voice before forcibly pushing him forward again. Not wanting it to look like he wanted to stay behind, Sasuke grabbed his katana from her grip and turned his attention to the path before him. Then he started walking again, willingly, fast enough to leave an annoyed Karin behind.

Suigetsu loosened the large sword from his back, the sword that had once belonged to Zabuza, and walked to stand in front of the female ninja. Her injuries were fatal, but even so, he saw the faint green light of her chakra as she tried healing her wounds. That required concentration, though, and she didn't have it. Also, both her lungs were probably filled with her own blood, or at least one of them were, if he judged from the way she kept coughing up the red liquid.

But he wasn't going to let her do that. He lowered to face her and flashed her a feral smirk. Then he grabbed the front of her shirt with one hand and rose to his feet while pulling her up. Now hanging in front of him by the hem of her shirt, her breathing nearly stopped, and she stopped healing herself altogether. Karin had promised Sasuke that he wouldn't kill her. How to solve that problem? ...Simple. He would let someone else do it for him. Or _something_ else.

His wide smirk turned into a grin that could only be described as beastly, and he walked closer to the river with one thought in his mind.

The green eyes of the pink-haired ninja widened as he stopped right beside the river, holding her above it. The other ninjas would probably be there soon, and Suigetsu relished in the pained expression of his victim. Her pleading face woke no pity in him. On the contrary he enjoyed seeing agony in the eyes of his many opponents. If only he could have used his sword to slowly finish her off... But there was no time for that; not now. It was about time for the flowing river to finish things. Seeing that the water current was too fast and unruly to walk on while he was this close to the waterfall, he stopped on the shore once he found a place in which the water was deep enough.

Offering her a sympathetic, yet unmistakably fake smile, he tilted his head and enjoyed her horrified expression as he let go of her.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
I only made the cliffhanger worse.  
...oops.


	9. Backup

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

Sorry about the cliffhangers... This chapter won't have one;)  
Next update will be late...

* * *

Backup

* * *

"I can't find her scent anywhere, the rain makes it difficult..." Kiba informed as they ran through the forest, all of them alert and ready to face enemies, and all of them soaked to their skin. Akamaru switched between smelling at the ground and in the air, Sai kept his eyes open, and Neji had his Byakugan activated. Things would have been much better if he had a vague idea of her current location. At the moment, they only moved in the direction Sakura had went earlier. For all they knew she could have taken a stroll elsewhere.

In their field of vision the strength of the light suddenly increased somewhat, as if the tree branches were no longer thick enough to keep out the late afternoon light. When they saw the reason for the light they stopped dead.

An enormous area was covered in fallen trees, all of which had marks on the trunks as if something had hit them. Not wasting time, Kiba ran to the closest of them and examined it.

"...This tree was hit with... another tree..?" he said, pondering his words while letting one hand slide down the trunk of the tree. Neji approached.  
"With her strength, she may have used a tree to fight." the Hyuuga said, mostly to himself. Sai looked in another direction; seemingly where he thought Sakura could have gone.

"Do you guys think she just practiced or something?" Kiba asked, doubt evident in his voice as he watched the trees with skepticism. Sai turned to him with a fake smile.  
"If that is the case, and if I judge from the looks of this place, I'll probably be in trouble when we find her." he said.

Akamaru brought them back to reality with his loud barking and the three ninjas followed the white dog as he showed the way. Once getting to a wide, deep river, they came to a halt upon seeing a tree that seemed to have taken much more beating than the others. What they found most disturbing was that it had marks of blood on its trunk. The bloodied hand marks could only belong to Sakura. She was the only one with enough strength and chakra control to use a tree as a weapon like that.

What bothered them more was that there were no other traces to follow.

Could Sakura and whoever she had been fighting have forced each other into the river, or Sakura been taken away by force? If she had, had she survived and tried to escape? Neji frowned at his current helplessness; his Byakugan was among the strongest in existence, but if he didn't know which direction to look in, there was not much he could do. Gritting his teeth without the others seeing it, he turned to look downstream, then upstream, with his Byakugan.

"I'll get an overview." Sai informed, then found a scroll, drew a bird, and watched as his drawing came to life. Once the black and white creature was out, he jumped onto its back and flew up into the air. The moment he was high enough, Sai scouted the area with trained eyes. It didn't take long before he found what he was looking for the remains of a battle. He immediately, yet without words, ordered the bird to move closer. Kiba and Neji followed below. It was a fair distance away, but the scene was still dangerously visible. They couldn't have missed it if they tried.

"What the-" Kiba said, and Akamaru gave a displeased sound. They kept running, though, looking bothered.  
"What is it?" Neji said, searching with his Byakugan.

"...I smell blood." Kiba said in a low voice, frowning. That was all he needed to say, because they all knew Sakura couldn't possibly have been training on her own until she bled. She would never do that, would she? The growing possibility of her having fought someone was undeniable.

Once Neji's Byakugan found the area in which the fight had taken place, his speed increased. He, Kiba and Akamaru came after Sai, whose painted creature had disappeared. Sai was standing with his back facing them, and his head was bent down slightly as he looked at something in vague interest. They once again stopped next to the same river they had been following, only this time there was a waterfall nearby. They watched in shock as a disturbing feeling of realization dawned on them. The huge burn mark left on the ground had left even the rocks partially melted. That must have taken skills.

And who other than the Uchiha Clan members were known to use fire jutsus this strong? Not at all many, that was for sure.

Not speaking, the others walked up next to Sai to find out what else he had found. Among the many boulders and the rubble left behind after a fight that had clearly taken its toll on both surroundings and opponents, there was a dark red patch of blood. Even though the rain had been at it for quite a while, it still wasn't hard to spot it. Kiba frowned.

"...That's Sakura's. I can't smell her around here, though." he said quietly, then turned to look around. With his head tilted back slightly and his eyes narrowed, he breathed in. When it gave no results, he shut his eyes and covered his ears with his hands. Focusing solely on his sense of smell, he took one more deep breath through his nose. Meanwhile, Neji one again eyed the river. The currents were strong thanks to the rain, and the landscape was shrouded in fog left by the waterfall. That surely made it hard for Kiba and Akamaru to find Sakura.

"...Damn." he heard Kiba mutter, and watched as Kiba moved to the riverside, shortly followed by his large, white dog.  
"Her scent just stops right here." he explained, waving a hand at the flowing water in front of him while watching the others, as if waiting for an order. Neji didn't hesitate.

"There's no time to lose. We'll follow the river and search for her." he said. Kiba nodded and Akamaru gave a bark of approval, then they followed the river downstream. Sai once again made himself an ink creature and let it hover above the river once he got on. Neji moved to the other side. That way they had the entire river covered, as well as its banks.

Barely focusing on the path, but rather keeping his Byakugan on the vigorous stream, he ran alongside it. The quiet team didn't exchange any words at all. The high possibility of Sakura being dead remained unspoken. After a while, they were once again at the place of the tree they found earlier, but continued past it. The only sound they heard was that of the rushing water, as their silent steps and the sound of the falling rain was easily stifled by the flowing stream. The longer they searched, the less were the possibilities of Sakura's survival. Quietly, Neji hoped her medical skills were of help, and that she had chakra. Where was she?

"...The river splits ahead." Sai informed in a low voice from above the river, just loud enough for the others to hear him where he sat on his ink bird.

True enough. Not much later, the river parted into two smaller streams. Both were still deep and the currents were strong. Without speaking, Neji continued running and followed it on 'his' side, while Kiba and Akamaru chose the other way. Because the two rivers now went in almost opposite directions, Sai couldn't just keep flying in the middle between them, as he would eventually lose sight of both his teammates if he did. Sai glanced at Neji, whose Byakugan was rumored to rival even that of the Clan Head. Neji would most likely be able to find Sakura even when he was alone. Kiba and Akamaru had their sense of smell, but because the air was damp and it was still raining, that would be rather hard for them to use to their full potent. Figuring he could function as their eyes, Sai followed the white, wet, furry, lunch-stealing dog and its master.

The currents became weaker as Neji continued his seemingly hopeless search. Hoping that Sakura had somehow managed to get out of the river and that she had hidden in the forest somewhere to avoid her enemy, he increased his speed. Had she fought Sasuke? Was he the one who had caused her to lose that much blood back at the waterfall?

Upon seeing that the river eventually calmed down because of the increasingly flat territory, Neji stepped onto the water and used his chakra to walk on the surface. Up until now the currents had been very strong, but there hadn't been too many rocks or other obstacles in the river, except from on the very bottom of it. That meant that if Sakura had indeed fallen into the river, or been thrown into it, she would have made it quite far before actually stopping. And that meant she most likely hadn't crashed into any boulders on her way. Had Kiba and Sai found her yet? Neji turned on his headset only to find that it didn't work, and guessed it was because the others were out of reach. That, or the rain had been the bane of the small communication device. He considered putting it back into his bag, but stopped as he spotted something in the corner of an eye.

What he saw made him feel so relieved that his Byakugan turned off in mere surprise.

But that feeling only lasted for a split second. From there the pleasant sensation inside him stooped down until his insides felt as though they were bathed in something dark and unknown; feeling like hatred for something he did not know. He didn't feel shattered, nor melted not at all. The sight before him made Neji feel as though he had been poisoned. Hardly breathing, and watching with wide silver eyes, he approached the scene spiritlessly.

Sakura was on her stomach on the riverside with the cold, flowing, yet calm water coming up past her knees. Barely registering that her pouch and backpack were nowhere to be seen, he rushed to her side. The fear he felt was horrible; Neji was unfamiliar with sensations like these; they brought out despair and darkness, which in turn darkened hearts and slowly deprived people of their emotions before their host realized it.

Her skin was pale and looked sickly green, and her arms were covered in watery cuts that he guessed came from a sword. The dark marks that ran from her hands to her elbows were remains of burns, and Neji vaguely recalled the burns on the ground next to the waterfall earlier. Sakura's soaked, pink hair shielded her face from view, and Neji was afraid that if he moved it away from her face, her eyes would be open, dull, and completely devoid of life. Her clothes were soaked in water and blood. One of her hands was at her stomach. What Neji found most disturbing, however, was the very much visible wound on her back, left by a sword.

Considering that her hand was at her stomach, under her, that sword had most likely been used to stab her through her ribs until it got out on the other side. The only way to find out if her lungs were affected as well, was to see if she was bleeding from her mouth. But he couldn't see any signs of breathing.

Feeling his frown deepen, he moved a hand to her face and brushed her wet, cherry pink locks away from her face.

* * *

Sakura couldn't feel anything at all. Her body was like a single, numb mass of something cold. Unable to move, and barely able to breath at all whatsoever, all she could do was wait. But for what? What was she waiting for? Nothing. She became colder by the minute. Naruto was nowhere nearby, and she had failed to take down Sasuke. Letting down her guard was an unforgivable thing to do. Who was that woman that stabbed her? Sakura had thought Sasuke did it at first. What would have happened then? And when he left, she had half expected him to help her. The least he could have done was to order that Suigetsu person to come with him instead of just leaving him there. How could Sasuke just abandon her with that person?

Despite the circumstances and her growing numbness, she had never felt calmer. One of her lungs were punctured, she had internal bleedings, broken ribs that poked around inside her, burned arms, and hands with deep sword cuts. After she was thrown in the river, she had felt so weightless that she had just given in to the currents. Eternally grateful that her legs were still fine, she had occasionally kicked the bottom of the river a couple of times just to break the surface and inhale a tiny bit of oxygen. After a fair while of floating down the stream, however, she had managed to haul herself onto the shore. That left her previously weightless body unbearably heavy, and it put a lot of pressure on her lungs.

Feeling her eyes blink, she wanted to frown, but found herself unable to. If this was how it felt to be dead, she wanted compensation.  
She couldn't see a thing. Why was that..?

Sasuke. Thinking of him made her insides grow even colder. He had just walked away. After sparing her a single, emotionless glance over his shoulder, he had hurried away just like he had done back when they were genins. What would the outcome have been if this new team of his hadn't been around? The blue skinned man, Juugo and the red-head? The look of Sasuke's back once again disappearing in the shadows was horrible. When she was a genin he had left Konoha and his team for Orochimaru. Now he left her for Uchiha Itachi. But last time he had at least made sure she was okay before he left. He had even placed her on a bench. Even if it was cold back then, it was _something_. Besides... Back then he had said 'thank you'.

This time Sasuke hadn't spared her a single word when he left her with a person he knew was perfectly capable of ignoring orders and slicing her into pieces in only seconds.

Her heart had been fractured before, and it had taken all her will to hold it together. Thanks to Naruto and the others, she had managed. But now her heart was shattered. It was shattered, destroyed, and only the tiniest of fragments remained. What would she do with them? A disgusting and icy sensation had already taken the place of that tingling, warm feeling she'd always had when watching him. That coldness, that darkness, was it caused by changing emotions towards Sasuke?

Or was it a sensation warning her that she didn't have much time left?

If the latter was the case, there was nothing she could do. She was unable to move, and her chakra was practically non-existent. How ironic. This was even worse than the mission she was on before Neji found her. Back then she had been injured, but there were no rivers nearby for her to almost drown in. How would she die? Death by pain was not tempting. Drowning because of the water mixed with her own blood in her only functioning lung was even worse, considering that she was a medic ninja. Why hadn't she just called Neji with a pulse of her chakra when she still had the chance?

...Why Neji?

Sai as well, and Kiba and Akamaru. She could have signalized them back there even if there was a risk that Sasuke would have escaped when she did. Once her team found the traces of her fight and then found her dead, they would think Sasuke killed her. The burn marks, the wound made by his katana... What would Naruto say? Would he ever forgive Sasuke; would he keep searching, to make sure Sasuke would feel guilty for what he in reality had not done to her? Or would her friends gather and make her a memorial, and quietly mutter among themselves that she should have signalized the others so they could have come to her rescue?

Her vague train of thoughts trailed off as her vision returned. Instead of a dark, reddish veil shielding her eyes, the evening light stung her already open eyes. Despite that, her green orbs remained open and didn't react much. To her grand surprise, a person was in front of her. Her cloudy vision only let her see pale skin, nearly white clothes, and long, brown hair. Once her eyes slowly refocused, she was once again shocked when she saw who it was.

_Neji?_

He looked bad. Not bad as in bad-looking, he just looked incredibly uncomfortable. With one cheek still on the rocky riverside, Sakura looked up into his bright, silver eyes. His orbs searched her lethargic face for signs of life. Her mouth was still shut, and her breathing was so short and valuable that she couldn't speak. It wouldn't surprise her if his trained eyes couldn't see she was alive. Her eyes were half shut and didn't move that much. He looked uncertain as of what to do next. Seeing Neji, however, she felt pain replace the numb sensation that had filled her before. The cold numbness was exchanged with agony that she was currently unable to express. She was on her stomach with her legs in the freezing water. If she tried moving, she would certainly make things worse. It was hopeless.

_...Heck._ There was no way Sakura wanted to die like a weak nuisance in the middle of nowhere. _Damn it._ Why? Simply because then Neji would have to carry her heavy, sorry and dirty behind all the way back to Konoha.

If only her body would have been as strong as her mind at that moment.

"Sakura..." she heard, and the sound of Neji's voice frightened her. A memory in which Naruto called Gaara's name flashed in her mind. Neji's voice was a lot more silent, yet just as downcast. He sounded as if he was completely devoid of hope. Gathering energy and making sure that her breathing remained stable, she moved her free hand just a little. First just barely, then her scarce movements increased in strength until Neji's attention snapped to it. He watched it and activated his Byakugan on impulse. He seemed confused when he watched her weak movements. Did she really have that little chakra?

Some long seconds passed in which he watched her moving hand, then he looked back at her face. Struggling, she opened her mouth. Something warm coursed down from it and stopped at her cheek at the ground. Neji's eyebrows furrowed upon seeing this, and he looked clueless for a moment. How could he help? Sakura didn't know. Her thoughts were completely clear, but she didn't have the capacity to find anything to do, much less explain it to him.

First; what did she need? To be healed... But she was the medic. Great. And in order to heal, she would need chakra.  
Chakra? ...Of course. It was definitely worth a try.

"Ch-...Cha-..." she managed in a barely audible whisper, and Neji bent closer with a frown on his face. His concerned expression changed into one of pure and hard determination. Sakura couldn't help but feel disappointed. Why? Because she wanted someone to care? How tragic.

"Cha-...kra..." she mouthed, hardly giving a sound. Neji immediately picked up on her request, and looked at her to find the best spot of giving her chakra. Her back and chest would hurt too much, and her legs were underwater. He couldn't move her in her current state, that would cause too much damage. He held his hands above her free arm and carefully made his chakra flow down to her. The sudden feeling of the powerful chakra made her inhale once sharply, and it took all of her willpower not to cough. More warm liquid trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Neji poured the chakra into her chakra circulatory system. The last time he did this was when he deprived Sakura of her chakra because it had attacked her from inside. This time it was the other way around. She needed chakra to have even the slightest chance of survival. But her body needed to accept his chakra as her own.

In her current state it was hard for her to simply relax. Instead of feeling numb, her body ached more by the second. Sensing her consciousness fade fast, Sakura frowned and meekly grit her teeth. Neji's chakra was cold and strong, thus it overwhelmed her in her weakened condition. Even so, it felt good. It stifled some of the pain and smoothly coursed through her body with some help from its soon-to-be former master. Sakura didn't wait for Neji to finish. She tried taking hold of some of the eerily smooth chakra of his, then let it run to the wound left by Sasuke's sword. Not moving an inch, she healed the worst of it before continuing.

Having stopped her bleeding, she used her elbows to hoist herself up just slightly. Shaking like a leaf she bit her lip not to cry out in pain as she felt her broken ribs move away from her lungs as gravity pulled them downwards. She vaguely registered Neji's hands supporting her shoulders in case she fell back down, and hurried to heal the fractured ribs. If she fell down to the ground again and Neji didn't stop her, the stray bones would kill her before any of them could do a thing about it. Using a fair deal of chakra to redirect the ribs and place them where they belonged, she made sure they were properly in place before continuing. Broken bones were serious if she healed too much at once, they would break again due to the high chakra pressure, but if she didn't heal them enough, they would fall off one more time. She needed to heal them more later.

Aware that her face was almost white, perhaps even blue from the rain, her 'swim', and lack of oxygen, she directed her attention to her lungs and quickly healed the punctured lung. Like bones, lung tissue would need re-healing later. She would have removed the fluids from her lungs before healing the ribs, but then the bones would just have reopened the lung injuries and new blood would have entered them. Gathering the cold, tranquil chakra in her lungs, around the mixed water and blood, she forced it all up her throat and out of her mouth. Then she let the chakra drop it on the ground under her.

With her head lowered and her wet, pink locks shielding her pale, tired face from view, she let herself fall back to the ground with a deep sigh. Neji let go of her shoulders and waited in silence, watching as the exhausted Sakura relished in her ability to once again breathe normally.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Look, no cliffhanger!  
...Will you keep reading anyway?


	10. Answers

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

I'M BACK!! Two tests and three texts are done, I've got one test and one presentation to go. After that... (-hands itching to write-) ...f-r-e-e-d-o-m. Seriously. At least almost.  
_Point:_ You're lucky my brain was functional enough to write this chapter. (-goes into state of overload-)

* * *

Answers

* * *

"Sakura..?" Neji asked silently, watching her breathing slowly.

Still on the ground, she gave no signs of having heard him, but he knew otherwise. She had only partially healed her wounds, but she would survive. The feeling of heavy, cold poison had left him once he realized she would make it, and he felt confusion take its place. What would he do now? He could let her rest some more, or he could try to move her. And he should contact the others. Neji found his bag and got the communication devices. Not knowing whether the headphones would work or not, he turned it on.

"Kiba? ...Can you hear me?" Neji asked. Half expecting the headphones to explode in an electric flash, he held it away while waiting for the others to reply.

"...Neji? Is that you?" he heard Kiba say in a rather down voice.  
"I found her." Neji explained, and felt a strange, fresh sensation run through him after speaking. He hadn't quite realized that Sakura was safe yet, much less that he was the one who had helped her.

"What, really?!" Kiba asked, and Akamaru's barking was quite audible in the background. Neji looked around, not quite remembering how far he had gone before finding Sakura. Some miles, perhaps.

"Can you find us by tracing the river?" Neji asked.  
"Sure... We'll be there within an hour, at most. Is she okay?" Kiba questioned. At that, Neji turned to Sakura, who had now turned her head enough to face him. Her expression was unreadable, as were her eyes.

"...She'll live." he said, leaving it to Kiba and Sai to find out what he meant. The connection was broken as Neji put away the device again.

Deciding to help Sakura into a better position, he rolled her over on her back carefully, then moved behind her and pulled her up until her legs were no longer in the cold water. Her icy skin instantly cooled him down, alerting him to her low temperature. She was freezing. He knew that at this point, some people were able to use their chakra to warm themselves. Sakura was in no state to do that on her own, but his own chakra was not really the warmest around; it would only cool her down even more. Supporting her by holding around her back, he reached out for his bag again and opened it with some difficulties.

Finding a spare shirt of his, a white one similar to the one he currently wore, he put it around her. He didn't touch her arms, though, as they were still covered in burns and cuts that had yet to be healed. Sakura flinched slightly upon feeling the fabric of the unfamiliar garment, but didn't throw it off, and focused on her hands instead. Forcing out some more of the chakra he had given her, her arms were shrouded in a mild, green chakra that Neji found so unique that he couldn't look away: Her tattered, injured and burned skin smoothed out slowly, leaving behind pale, yet fair skin that looked nearly flawless.

Sakura tightened her hands into fists and opened them again in order to check their state before continuing. Neji still supported her with an arm around her back and watched her as she shut her eyes in concentration. Guessing that she was healing her lungs or ribs some more, he didn't move at all until her eyes opened again. Her eyes were dull and lacked something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but at least they showed signs of life. That was all that mattered at the moment. Then she turned her head a little to watch him, as if not having noticed him yet. She showed no surprise, though, and just looked like she wasn't sure of what to say.

"What happened?" Neji asked, harsher than he intended to. He had a guess as to what had happened. Sakura looked away, her head swaying a little as she frowned.

"On my way back to the camp..." she started, her voice a hoarse whisper, and she cleared her voice a little before continuing.  
"...I met Sasuke. I didn't contact you... because I thought he'd escape if I did. We ended up fighting." she said, still in a whisper as she was still exhausted.

"Did he stab you." he demanded. She shut her eyes at that.  
"No. I thought he did at first, but it was Karin. But Sasuke... He left me for dead meat." she said through gritted teeth, and her last words were so quiet that Neji barely heard her at all.

"...How did you end up in the river?" he asked silently, thinking of her words.  
"Karin and Sasuke left Suigetsu with me, and he threw me in." she stated in a monotone voice that weakened and slowed down after every word she spoke, her face showing sadness and anger directed at Sasuke's betrayal. It was not the first time he had done something like that, surely.

After explaining, her head slowly lowered as she shut her eyes. With her newly healed arms resting limply at her side, she started falling forward, wordlessly telling Neji that she had fallen unconscious. Acting fast, he moved one arm in front of her and took hold of one of her shoulders, then moved her back until she rested against him. This time her head rested on his shoulder and her closed eyes gave no signs of opening. Neji didn't let go, and as he felt the cold moving from her to him, he hoped warmth would go the other way. Sakura was dangerously cold. Vaguely wondering if his thick shirt helped at all, he waited for the others to arrive.

It took them long enough.

About twenty minutes later, the rain had stopped and Sai, Kiba and Akamaru arrived. Needless to say, Neji had been stuck with Sakura in his arms until they got there, and his mind had pestered him with thoughts every minute Anger directed at Sasuke for leaving her, concern for Sakura in her current state, and of course annoyance towards Sai and Kiba for being late. Keeping his stoic mask in front of them, he only let them see the slightest of frowns as he explained what had happened to Sakura. Then he suggested that they should go back to the camp and tidy up their traces before returning to Konoha with news of the youngest Uchiha.

"I'll take Sakura. That's the easiest way to move her." Sai said, glancing at the white and black ink creature behind him. The large ink bird moved closer. Neji moved one arm under Sakura's legs and scooped her up before he rose to his feet. Flashing a fake smile, Sai held out his arms, waiting for him to hand over Sakura. Neji stepped closer and slowly moved her into his arms, carefully letting go.

Once he held her, Sai once again gave a false smile, then tightened his arms around her before getting on the giant ink bird. Sakura, still wrapped in Neji's shirt, didn't stir. Watching in slight distaste as Sai pulled her even closer as the bird flapped its wings, Neji turned to Kiba and Akamaru. Seemingly oblivious to Neji altogether, Kiba turned to his white dog. Wagging its tail like mad, Akamaru barked while watching Sai fly off.

"What the- he could have made _us_ some birds too, damn it!" Kiba exclaimed, watching Sai disappear above the trees.

Yet another hour later, Kiba, Neji and Akamaru got back to the camp.

Once they were there, Sai had already packed the tents and removed all traces their camp had left. At the moment he was smiling quite falsely at them while handing Sakura a dry quilt. Awake, yet beaten, Sakura accepted it with a cold and shaky hand.

"Oh? You're shaking like an old lady, Sakura." Sai commented with the trademark fake smile of his. She frowned weakly, but didn't reply.  
"...If you can't hear me, you really are an old lady." he continued. Sakura turned to him.

"Thank you. Old ladies are usually wise, so I'll take that as a compliment." she said in a hoarse voice, her weak frown deepening only a little.  
"...A _senile_ old lady." he said in a monotone voice, watching her without any expression at all. Her eyebrow twitched.

"You can't _see_ if someone is _senile._" she countered, paying no attention to their newly arrived teammates.  
"I can _hear_ it from the way you speak." Sai re-countered.  
"Your way of talking is weird. That means you're most likely senile yourself, _Sai._" she warned. Kiba gave a laugh.

"You two fight like a senile old couple." he remarked, earning him a dangerous emerald glare from Sakura and an onyx cold look from Sai.

"...Anyway, ANBU came by earlier, and I let them know what happened. They said they'd take over from here. That means we can go back to Konoha." Sai informed.

* * *

As a result of Sakura's weakened state, it took them quite a while to get back to Konoha. After about two days, during which Sakura refused to accept help or chakra from the others, they arrived at Konoha's gates. Not only that: So she wouldn't slow the others down too much, she used the last of the chakra Neji gave her before to increase her speed. The chakra made the trip back much faster. Sai avoided suggesting ink birds for transport, as that simply wouldn't do. Not only would they be easy to spot from below, but it would also be rather hard for Akamaru to hold onto one of those birds. Ink creatures on the _ground_ wouldn't work either, as the terrain was too rough for them to move around in.

In other words, they _ran_ all the way back, with some help from chakra.

On their way, Sakura was in front while having a constant feeling of having to speed up. It would have felt better to just follow the others instead of leading, but her teammates had silently decided to move behind her at _her_ speed. Therefore she was currently at her limit. The gates of Konoha had never looked more inviting the sunset gave the village a calm and orange glow, people were happy, and the gate guards greeted them with nonchalant waves accompanied by their usual smirks. Personally, Sakura wanted to run for her life and get back to her house to simply rest. That, however, was impossible. She was so tired that she had trouble hiding that her knees were shaking. As long as she walked, she'd be fine.

"I'll report to Tsunade-sama." Neji informed. The others were fine with that. Sai was not really particularly fond of the Hokage because she and his boss were fighting a cold war on their own, Kiba and Akamaru apparently had other things to do, and Sakura was busy thinking of taking a warm bath and then having a very long nap in her soft bed.

"Okay. See you all later, then." Kiba said, waving a hand over his shoulder after turning to walk away. Sai gave a fake smile, which Sakura had eventually gotten used to over the past few days, and turned to her while paying no attention to Neji.

"Will you be able to get home on your own, or will I have to wake you up first?" he asked.  
"No. I can walk in my sleep, thank-you-very-much." Sakura said, her tired voice steady, yet annoyed.

"Good night." she added, then shambled wearily along the street with one goal in mind; her apartment. Behind her, she barely registered that the presences of Sai and Neji disappeared.

Once she got to where her apartment was, she tried using chakra to get up to the roof, but found that she didn't have enough. Frowning, she walked into the round building and up the stairs. Needless to say after walking all the way to the upper floor, her knees were shaking like leaves and she was beyond her limit. The fact that she didn't have her backpack, and thus not her key either, she grit her teeth and let her head rest on her front door. Cursing her own paranoia the last months, she tried to think of a way to get in without triggering any traps or getting attention to herself.

But she had no such thing as patience at the moment.

Gathering energy in her shaky legs, she stepped back and shut her eyes. Years ago, before she learned to concentrate chakra in her fists, Naruto had still taken a bad beating from her when he annoyed her. She still had some of that strength, right? Sakura opened her eyes and stepped towards the door, then kicked it with all her might, noticeably without chakra. For a short moment nothing happened at all. Her leg hurt, though, and Sakura held back a growl of pain as she lowered it.

But then she heard a click.

She reached out and pushed down the handle. The door opened easily and continued to slide open even after she let go of it. Flashing a satisfied grin, she limped inside and found her spare key, then locked the door. She hurried through her large, white apartment and into the bathroom, in which dark blue and warm floor tiles awaited her arrival, soothing her sore feet. Feeling tiredness take hold of her, she quickly took a warm shower and threw away her dirty clothes, then grabbed a thick, warm bathrobe that was almost as pink as her hair, only a little lighter. The soft robe only made her more tired, and after drying her hair she put her dirty clothes in her old washing machine.

Pleased with herself, she exited the bathroom and walked to the kitchen. She had to eat before going to bed. But what would she eat? Sakura randomly grabbed the first thing she spotted, which was an orange. Hoping it wouldn't be bad, she hesitated before taking a bite. The orange tasted absolutely great, though. It was juicy and sugary, not too sour or bitter, nor too sweet. The poor orange only lasted for some long seconds.

Satisfied, Sakura turned and walked into her living room and stopped absently in front of the black couch, letting her eyes rest on the scarlet table-cloth on the dark table. She got an urge to just throw away the red cloth and replace with something else. Something green, perhaps? Or even brown?

"Sakura." she heard and jerked around, eyes wide in surprise. They widened even more in shock as she saw who was there.

Sasuke.

When did he get there? What was he doing in her apartment, in Konoha? And more importantly, how did he get there? He was standing on the other side of the room, facing her from his position in front of the main door. Pale and tall, with pitch black eyes and one hand at his side in case he would need to pull out his sword, he observed her with vague interest. Not an affectionate interest; he resembled someone who had just found a particularly weak prey to sharpen his teeth on. His almost white shirt was open, leaving his toned chest for everyone to see, and his relaxed pose suggested that he felt quite certain of himself. Sakura, however, stared into his onyx eyes with evident fear.

What would she do? She had no chakra, nor strength to defend herself if he decided to attack.

"Suigetsu told me he threw you in the river." Sasuke stated. The only thing that moved when he spoke was his mouth, and his voice held a barley noticeable amusement. He didn't wait for her to reply.  
"How come you didn't die? Who healed you?" he asked. Sakura forced herself to stay calm. How could she signal for help? Her chakra pulse was too faint to be noticed.

"..._I_ did. I borrowed some chakra from a _teammate._" she said through her teeth, looking away for a moment before returning to watch him. Thanks to Sasuke, she owed Neji her life. Was that good or bad? Confused, she frowned upon seeing Sasuke smirk.  
"Is that so? You're a medic-nin too?" he asked, still smirking. He continued before she replied.

"You've changed. Enhanced chakra strength and medical skills..." he muttered. Sakura blinked and instantly wished she hadn't, because when she opened her eyes he was standing right in front of her. A few more steps, and they would touch.

"...Useful." he said in a whisper, and Sakura frowned upon feeling his warm breath on her face.

"You. You're not here to stay, are you." she asked in a steady voice, changing the subject. It sounded more like a statement than a question.  
"I will get my revenge soon..." he said, then moved closer to her soundlessly, then spoke again.  
"Do you remember when I left? When you offered to come with me and I declined?" he wondered, his voice only slightly lighter.  
"How could I forget." she replied coldly, looking down.

"Since then... You've improved. You're no longer weak." he said, a smirk playing at his lips.

"What are you-"  
"Will you come with me?" he interrupted, speaking his words as if they were no big deal. Sakura's eyes widened in shock as her head jerked up.

"...What?!" she asked, breathless. Sasuke's smirk grew.  
"You heard me, Sakura." he said in a slightly amused voice.

Very slowly, her shocked expression was exchanged with a sad frown. Sasuke wanted her to come with her because she was no longer weak. That meant that if she would still have been her old self, he wouldn't have cared at all. She was considered a possible team member only because she was no longer weak.

In other words, he only wanted her skills. Not her, nor her company.

Her abilities would just fill in the empty holes in his team, and that was all there was to it. Her frown weakened until her face held no expression. Listening to the horribly cold feeling spreading inside her when she watched him, she mentally distanced herself from the man in front of her. Sasuke had changed. He had changed too much.  
But why was he there? The faintest of hopes told her that there was a possibility that he came to see if she had survived or not, but she didn't let her face show that.  
Even so, as if reading her thoughts, Sasuke spoke again.

"I came here because I thought you were dead. I was quite certain that Naruto would be devastated, and thus considerably weakened. I'm quite sure he would want to be left alone for a while. That is the kind of situation Itachi would use to his advantages. My brother would surely have come to get Naruto if Naruto's strength was temporarily depleted. And where my brother goes, I will be waiting for him. To kill him." he said, his voice cold and monotone. Sakura's final flicker of hope for her the Uchiha in front of her was blown out completely by his words. He hadn't come to see if she was fine at all.

Sasuke came because that was what he deemed necessary in order to find his brother and kill him.  
He came for the sole purpose of revenge and nothing else; he only found Sakura and asked her to join on a whim. As for his revenge, if he ever finished it, Sakura doubted he would just drop off Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo and return to Konoha as if everything was fine again. They wouldn't let him leave, and Konoha wouldn't let him come back. Sasuke himself would most likely be busy trying to get stronger until his limits were reached.

There was no way she would come with him. But what would he say to that?

* * *

-I-I-I-  
...I was _never_ here writing this chapter. You haven't seen me here. In fact, I've been working on my homework all along.


	11. Dignity

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or Neji.

**NOTE: **I think this story was a little influenced by the Sasuke-equals-Saucegay reviews I got! Meaning: Sasuke is obviously a _bad_ guy in this story.  
That aside, I wrote this chapter while swimming in swamps of school work and rivers of worries, but I will survive one more week... (Then it's our holidays! A whole week!)

* * *

Dignity

* * *

"You being alive does not benefit me as much as your death would have. But there's still an advantage..." Sasuke said in a cold voice, his head tilted back a little so he could look down at Sakura. She watched him, trying hard not to let her feelings onto her face. Her eyes, however, showed that she listened to him.

"Let me tell you something, Sakura. After Suigetsu crossed my orders by 'dropping' you into the river, Juugo got angry and had an... _outbreak._ As a result, Suigetsu got wounded. He'll be fine even if we leave him alone, but he's complaining all day. That disturbs Karin, who then bothers _me,_ and that's annoying as heck. Juugo can tell, so he's close to starting another rampage directed at both of them. My point is this: if Suigetsu is healed and stops his whining Juugo won't go berserk, which leaves us undisturbed." he explained in a quiet, monotone voice, his black and cold eyes never leaving her. Sakura felt her affections towards him once again decrease rapidly, and a bitter sensation spread inside her. He didn't even need her skills for a true, useful purpose. He just needed her to make the others shut up.

"I don't want to." she stated with determination, but her eyes were directed at his shoulder. She watched as he shifted a little, probably finding a fitting reply.

"Hn... Judging from our fight, your weakness has faded. But I doubt your feelings are that easy to get rid of. Am I right, Sakura?" he taunted, earning him a frown as she looked back into his eyes.

"You were a friend. _Were._ But not anymore." she said in an angry voice, frightened by her own words. She felt they were true, but it hurt to speak them aloud. Sasuke didn't speak, but an amused smirk played at his lips.

"...I can make you do whatever I want, merely because you have feelings for me." he started and she looked away, still angry.  
"You don't have to leave Konoha. All you have to do is to heal Suigetsu, then do whatever you want." he continued, his smirk growing. She glared at him, her emerald eyes strong with emotion.

"I won't help your new 'friends'. Or _you_, Sasuke." she said in a determined voice, looking at him with shining green orbs. Once again his name escaped her lips without an honorific. That seemed to amuse him greatly.

"Oh? ..._Who are _you_ to call my name in such a manner?_" he muttered. A cold chill ran down her spine as she remembered that was what he had said the last time they met as well. Recalling that he had then attacked her, Sakura stepped back until she hit one of the handles of her couch. Sasuke followed her, his expression turning so cold it hurt to watch him. He unsheathed his sword, but didn't look as if he was going to use it just yet. There was dry blood on it. Her blood?

"Let me tell you something, Sakura. If I _want_ to, I can make you do _anything._" he muttered once he was right in front of her, daring her to say against him. Sakura felt her almost non-existent chakra pulse violently as Sasuke held the sword next to her. A flash of bright crimson alerted her to his activated Sharingan, and she forced herself not to look into his burning orbs by letting her eyes rest on the arm that held his sword. Even in her current situation, she didn't want to help that Suigetsu-person.

Then, as if to prove his words, Sasuke closed the distance between them and pushed her down onto her couch.

With one leg between hers, he used his other one to hold hers in place while keeping the rest of her pinned down with his weight. Terrified, she used her arms to try pushing him off, but she failed miserably, which made him only narrow his eyes in what she guessed was distaste. His heavy weight made it harder for her to move at all, which quickened her breathing somewhat. In turn, that made the two of them get even closer to each other every time she inhaled. Frightened, her bright eyes flashed between his two crimson ones. Judging from the way the burning orbs of his looked, he was relishing in her fear.

If he thought he'd be able to persuade her into healing Suigetsu by doing _this_, he was painfully mistaken. But what could he do if she kept saying no?

As if reading her thoughts with that cursed Sharingan of his, he smirked and moved his sword until it was at her throat, right below her chin. Sakura tilted her head back, unwillingly exposing her neck. How she despised this. Sasuke eyed her upon seeing that her fear was partially replaced with anger. There had to be something she could do with that little bit of chakra she had left. Still attempting to persuade her, waiting for her to accept his 'request', Sasuke bent down and let his breath dance down her neck. Sakura remained still, desperately trying to concentrate.

A possible solution hit her right before she felt his cold lips trace her newly bathed skin. Moving slowly from her shoulder to her chin, barely touching her at all, Sasuke stopped right next to his sword. That was all it took for Sakura's building rage to surface. She focused her tiny amount of chakra in her hands and shaped it into knives that were normally used for surgery, then aimed for his chest. Subconsciously noticing that _if_ she would have hit him, the wound wouldn't have been lethal at all, Sakura inhaled sharply as Sasuke back pushed himself off her and jumped onto his feet. She couldn't possibly have made him pull back like that; not in her weakened state.

"You..." Sasuke muttered, and Sakura clutched the front of her bathrobe while getting to her feet, still trembling. Sasuke looked at something, and Sakura turned to look in the same direction.

Neji was right there, standing right where Sasuke had been standing moments before.

Shocked, Sakura desperately tried pushing away the annoying voice in her head that told her Neji was saving her behind quite often lately. She looked between the two men. Two visitors in one day was a new record, surely. No one knew where she lived, nor did they visit her. Suddenly she felt her heart fluttering. Since when had it done that? Why hadn't she noticed it before? Confused and angry at her predicament, Sakura turned back to watch Neji, whose fine features were now dark and cold. His pearly eyes dared the Uchiha in front of him to look away, and Sakura found herself momentarily stunned.

Owing him her life, or lives, to be more exact, Sakura felt uneasy just watching him. She'd have to work overtime at the hospital just to get a chance to save _his_ life to make them even. If she got lucky, he'd get injured and she'd be the one to heal him. On the other hand, she didn't want for him to be wounded.

...At least not now, she mentally added. Not by Sasuke's sword.

Sasuke's eyes moved to her as if Neji wasn't even there, but the Hyuuga didn't fall for the trap. If he looked away only for a moment, there was a chance he'd get killed before even blinking. On the other hand, Sasuke underestimated him. Sakura vaguely recalled that Neji got the jounin rank before any of her other friends. Years had passed, and he couldn't exactly be getting _worse_. On the contrary. Sasuke shouldn't look away at all.

"Sakura. I'll give you one last chance. Come with me and heal Suigetsu so he won't be a bother. Then you can leave and come back here if you want to." he suggested in a nonchalant way, looking down at her.

"No." she answered bluntly. For the briefest of moments, she thought Neji glanced in her direction. When she looked at him to see if he watched her, his silver eyes were once again fixed on the Uchiha.

"If you don't..." Sasuke threatened, slowly pointing his sword directly at her. Then he swiftly moved it until it pointed in Neji's direction, whose face darkened in a frown. Neji's chakra surged in his hands as a silent warning. If Sasuke engaged in a fight, the Hyuuga would definitely fight back. Sakura glanced between the two of them. They were going to fight? Sasuke would fight for her medical skills only, while Neji defended her. Why?

If she said yes to Sasuke's request, Neji would be disappointed and angry, or perhaps worse. He would take it as an insult, because if she said yes only so _he_ wouldn't have to fight to protect her, that would be an indirect accusation telling him he was too _weak_ to protect her. He'd hate that.  
On the other hand, if her final answer was no, Sasuke could injure him badly.

Neji favored his pride before his well-being. That was how he was, if Sakura was to judge from Tenten's random comments.

"No, Sasuke-kun." she said in a quiet voice, letting her final answer be heard by both of them.  
Inwardly wishing that using the honorific would be enough to suppress the rage of the Uchiha, even just a little, Sakura looked down to avoid their eyes.

Surprised, Neji glanced at Sakura for a split second, but quickly moved his activated Byakugan back to the Uchiha. He didn't need to turn to her in order to see that she clutched her arms in a death grip. With stiff shoulders, she looked down, awaiting what was to come. She had refused to come with Sasuke, which was good. Did it mean she trusted him? Moving all his attention to Sasuke, Neji could sense his growing annoyance. The Uchiha was angered, but not as much as Neji had thought he would be. In his flaming eyes, Neji found rage and disappointment.

But there was one thing Sasuke's eyes _didn't_ hold. Sadness.  
In other words, Sasuke didn't feel hurt at all. Sakura's answer was a nuisance, but nothing else. She didn't mean anything to him, because his emotions were gone. He didn't grant anything to anyone unless he could gain something from it.

"Fine, Sakura... Either way, you aren't worth it." Sasuke said in a nonchalant voice. To Neji, he sounded arrogant and conceited.  
"You aren't worth fighting for." he added, as if for good measure. For the first time, Neji noticed that Sasuke's sword was tainted with dry blood. Sakura's blood from earlier, most likely. He hadn't even washed it off. Thanks to his Byakugan, he saw Sakura grit her teeth as she raised her head to face him.

"You... You aren't worth it either." she said in a voice that was so silent he had trouble catching it. That earned her an amused smirk from the malevolent Uchiha, whose features brightened as his eyes flashed for a short moment.

"You really are weak." he muttered, still smirking.

Then he was gone.

Neji used his Byakugan to its full extent, searching in all directions for any sign of him, but there was none. Silhouettes, people, both civilians and ninjas, trees, buildings... But no enemy chakra, nor anyone resembling Sasuke. The Uchiha was gone. Neji frowned, then deactivated his eyes as if not to worry Sakura, but stayed alert at the same time. There was no way he would lower his guard after that meeting.

Turning to Sakura, Neji caught her watching the spot where Sasuke had been standing. She looked hurt, but also angry. Her gaze could be described as cold, but Neji wasn't truly sure if it was. His eyes wandered to her neck, where Sasuke had traced her skin with his lips while holding his sword at her throat. He couldn't get that picture out his mind. When he came there, Sasuke had been on top of her, and Sakura had been terrified, probably not knowing how far he would go. Was that how low Sasuke would sink to make people do what he wanted them to? Was that really how far he would stretch the line to make his old teammate heal one of his new ones?

Then he looked into her eyes, which soon looked back at him. With an unreadable frown, she quickly looked away again. She was still hugging her arms. Wondering what Naruto, as a teammate, would do to make her feel better, Neji shifted. With his usual half-frown he stepped closer to gain her attention again. When she turned to him, Neji stopped. Naruto would most likely have given her a hug or flash her a grin. The latter was out of the question. The first, however, was slightly enticing. But embracing her would only scare her. At least so he thought.

"Thank you, Neji..." she said, now looking wary. Before he could reply, she continued.  
"How did you find this place?" she asked, her emerald eyes not once flickering away.

"...When our team dispersed earlier, you didn't hide your chakra." he said, his answer vague. When she said nothing, he explained.  
"Your chakra was low, but having been your teammate for the last week, I used to your chakra. Thus, I was able to pinpoint your location. When I finished reporting to the Hokage, there was a sudden change in your presence that alerted me, and I went here." he said, then glanced around her unusual apartment. The walls were round, just like the building. White walls, black and red furniture...

_You can't tell anyone I live here._  
Neji waited for her to speak those words, but she didn't.

"...Sasuke's pride will keep him from returning here to offer 'requests' to you again. I doubt he'll come here one more time." he said in a silent, yet certain voice.

"Thanks..." she said in a monotone voice, but then added a small smile to compensate.  
"You've saved me three times now. Why can't _I_ save _you_? I feel..." she started in a resigned voice. _...Weak?_

"You're not weak. You are in ANBU, are you not?" he questioned, not letting her question it. At that, she frowned and caught his silver eyes with her fiery green ones.  
"Once I get better, will you train with me?" she asked, taking him off guard.

"...Any time." _Any time at all._

At that, she visibly relaxed and gave him a very small, yet genuine smile that seemed to touch something deep inside him that he couldn't name. It felt as though she had dusted away something else to make room for something that wasn't new, yet not truly old. Watching her emerald eyes gave him something invisible, yet not at all insignificant.

* * *

A uninteresting and incomparably long week passed, in which Neji and Sakura didn't even exchange a word. Tsunade had explained to Naruto what happened between Sasuke and Sakura on the mission. Judging from what Lee had told Neji of the situation, Sakura had spoken to Naruto about Sasuke coming to her. Vaguely pondering whether or not Sakura had mentioned _him_, Neji wondered if Naruto would be angry that he knew where Sakura lived, since Naruto didn't. So far, he hadn't heard a word from any of them.

He had stayed in his house, training every day, answering calls or turning away visitors, such as his old team. Hanabi came by once, bothering him so much with questions that he locked the door and stayed in his training basement the rest of the day. Practicing and perfecting his ability to hide his chakra and presence, Neji was kept occupied until he was sure he had almost mastered it. Once satisfied, he went back upstairs and took a shower. Despite the fact that it was still early, Neji found that it wouldn't hurt to go to bed early.

But then he heard an all too familiar knock on the door. He recognized the formal knock at once, and warily moved to open the door, having an idea why that certain person was at his house. He unlocked the door and opened it, consciously keeping his face devoid of emotion.

"...Hiashi-sama." Neji greeted his uncle, the head of the Hyuuga clan.

About ten minutes later, the two sat around Neji's kotatsu table, drinking tea. Neji had never truly disliked his uncle, as his deceased father had told him to protect him with his life, but he still felt uncomfortable around Hiashi. He was kind, yet cold, and treated Neji with respect because of his skills. Even so, Neji knew Hiashi was often influenced by the Hyuuga Elders. In other words, Neji liked his uncle, but he didn't like the fact that his uncle often listened to the advice the Elders gave him. And he also didn't like the Elders, even if he _did_ respect them. Suspecting something, Neji stayed calm and collected throughout Hiashi's visit.

His uncle was, as always, straight to the point. After talking for only some minutes, he summed up the reason for his visit.

"If you become an ANBU member, or even a captain, your reputation will be known in the entire ninja world. And thus, the Hyuuga name will gain more respect. Also, your skills will surely improve even more." his uncle said. Neji sensed a trace of hesitancy, and guessed Hiashi had more to say.

"Is there more to it than that, Hiashi-sama?" Neji asked, watching him. Hiashi allowed the smallest of smiles to play at his lips.

"The Elders wish you to join ANBU for another reason as well, yes." he said. Then his face darkened a little again as he brushed away his smile with a serious, yet small frown.  
"They acknowledge your potential and possibilities, and you were called a genius already from a very young age. Your abilities and the progress of your Byakugan are more than satisfying. The Elders cannot let such skills go to waste." Hiashi continued, his voice a little darker while he let his eyes move to the cup of tea in front of him. Neji narrowed his eyes in a slight frown that lasted for only a split second. Could it be..?

"You are a promising young man, Neji. Therefore, joining ANBU will be easy." Hiashi added, pride visible in his pearly eyes when the man watched his nephew. Neji inwardly urged the man to speed up, wanting to know if his sneaking suspicion was right. His face, however, remained calm and unaffected.

"Once you are in ANBU, the Hyuuga Clan will gain more attention, and thus also respect and honor. You are bound to have some respect for yourself as well. As to who you want to share that glory with, that will be your own choice. True to traditions, however, the Elders wish for you to choose someone from the Hyuuga clan."

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Ugh. And true to most of the SakuNeji fics, I present to you the very old tradition of arranged marriages to hurt dear Neji. Forgive me.


	12. Memory

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**ATTENTION, PLEASE READ:** (did that catch your attention? Hope so.) More than one of you mentioned incest and said if such a marriage happened, their children could become abnormal in some way. That's why Hiashi let Neji choose on his own, so he doesn't have to choose someone _really_ close... Also, I know someone who have parents that are related to each other, and their children are fine. (Point: Just because people are related, doesn't mean their children _have_ to turn out different.) That said, I know what you mean:)  
On to the story, starting with a flashback.

* * *

Memory

* * *

_The young Neji had been brought to a small farm not too far away from Konoha. Some relatives of his lived there, and he was going to stay with them until he was picked up again. The ones who usually kept an eye on him were on a mission, and most of the other were too busy to look after him. That was what they had said, anyway. Neji, however, knew better than that. They hadn't brought him out there to let him get some fresh air. _

_They wanted to get the death of his father off his mind. _

"_Neji-kun, are you coming? We're going to feed the chickens." a kind woman said, holding out a hand. Neji ignored the gesture and walked past her out of the small house. He didn't mind being there, but he wanted to train. Ever since the death of his father, there had been no one for him to practice with._

_The woman, whose hair was dark blue, followed him outside and looked at him with eyes that were perfectly normal. Despite being from the Hyuuga clan, this person didn't have Byakugan. He had even questioned her about it, and then she had told him it was because her mother wasn't from the Hyuuga clan. Neji found that strange, but didn't offer it too much of his time._

"_Over here." she said, walking in front of him._

_After feeding the chickens, she asked him to help her find the eggs . Neji complied and absently turned on his Byakugan, finding every single egg within a few minutes. That was impressive, as there were at least twenty hens in there. In addition, small and yellow chickens darted around. Neji put one by one of the eggs in the basket the woman held, and didn't speak a word in the process. This seemed to worry her._

"_Neji-kun... Are you all right?" she asked quietly, watching him with those dark blue eyes of hers. The two dark orbs were the only things that didn't look 'Hyuuga-like' on her. Her hair was darker than her eyes and was in a long braid at her back._

"_I am fine." he replied, watching her with a weak frown on his face. She flashed him a soft smile, then gestured for him to come with her again._

_This time she took him to a small shop that was apparently her own. The small room was dreary and gray, and looked a little messy. The basket with the eggs was put on the counter, and Neji watched as his 'babysitter' took an egg and cleaned it. Once she was done cleaning it, she took another one. Neji settled on a chair and watched tiredly. His eyelids dropped occasionally, but he stayed awake. It took her quite some time to finish cleaning the eggs, though, and Neji had problems fighting his urge to fall asleep._

_As if on cue, the doorbell gave a cheerful sound as someone entered. Neji didn't even bother turning around to face the visitor._

"_Ah, who is this? It's been long since you came here, Sakura-chan!" his babysitter said in a cheerful voice.  
_

"_Mhm... Mum has a cold, so dad followed me here. But he doesn't want to be seen shopping eggs and milk, so I went inside here by myself! And dad waits outside." the girl explained cheerfully, proud that she could do something that her father could not._

_Neji slowly turned around, his eyes wide. His movement caught her attention, and her eyes met his._

"_Eh? ...Neji-kun..?" she asked, suddenly hesitant. They had met once before, at the old fountain. That was some weeks ago._

"_...Sakura-chan." Neji said, and his eyebrows arched. After some long seconds, Sakura relaxed and flashed a small grin. If the small shop looked dreary some seconds ago, that was not the case now. Along with her cheerful smile came the colors, granting the room a friendly, comfortable mood. Young as he was, Neji could only describe the sensation as a small sun inside his chest. The light warmed him._

"_...Why are you here?" Sakura asked timidly, accepting a cloth with the newly cleaned eggs wrapped in it. She handed back a small bag of money, then looked back at Neji. She wore a ribbon, a red one, which made her eyes far more visible than last time they met. It fit her._

"_I'm here because Hiashi-sama found it necessary for me to get my late father off my mind." Neji replied, glancing in the direction of his attender to see a flash of worry._

"_Also, I'm supposed to relax here because my attenders back in Konoha are _all_ 'absent', of some unexplainable reason." he added, and turned back to Sakura while blinking his left eye. She caught the idea immediately and laughed. Neji's babysitter, however, didn't see him blinking, and remained troubled. How long had young Neji known the true reason he had been taken to the farm? _

_After Sakura got some milk and her change and left, Neji felt better. His attender, whose name still hadn't been given to him, had yet to find out why little Sakura had laughed in the first place. She didn't look too good at the moment. She looked ill, in fact. _

_That wasn't Neji's problem, though._

* * *

Lee was feeling remarkably good, despite Neji's silence. The green-suited man had somehow made Neji come with him to the training grounds. Although Neji had been training for days on his own, Lee kicked his butt every time they sparred. On his own, Neji had been doing more than fine, but while fighting against others, he was too distracted to put up a fight. A week had passed, and he hadn't heard a word from Sakura. Had she forgotten that they were going to train together, or hadn't she fully healed yet? Could it be that she was waiting for _him_ to contact _her?_ That wouldn't happen anytime soon, that was for sure. His pride didn't allow him to.

His dignity was also the reason he had been feeling more down than usual.  
After the visit of Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, Neji had been feeling grumpy, to say the least.

Which was why Lee was currently grinning a very sparkly grin at him.  
Neji, on the other hand, was so annoyed that he feared he would get permanent wrinkles from his deep frown.

"Neji! Your youthful sparkle has left you! That is why I can defeat you so easily!" he said. With a twitching eyebrow, Neji tightened his fists. Concentrating only on Lee, he moved into a stance that he had mastered not long ago. This was the first time he showed it to anyone. His efforts were once again in vain, however, as Lee moved into something that looked more like a pose than a battle stance. Lee underestimated him so much that Neji once again lost his focus. He needed to do something.

"_...Lee._" he muttered, his voice as dark and cold as he could muster. It worked. Lee's attention snapped to him, and then he disappeared into thin air. At that, Neji smirked.

Three seconds later, Lee swung a leg towards him from behind, but Neji grabbed his ankle with one hand. Not fazed at all, Lee supported himself with his arms on the ground and countered with his other leg. His speed was a sight to behold, that is, if people could see him moving at all. Neji barely managed to stop his second kick with his other hand. Still behind Neji, Lee had his hands planted on the ground and Neji's hands were locked around his ankles. Despite the fact that Neji didn't face Lee, he could still see him with his Byakugan.

Not wasting his chance, Neji turned to his right so fast that Lee almost lost his balance. Then he leaned forward and started stepping in a circle, still holding Lee by his ankles behind him. Lee lost his grip on the ground as his opponent kept moving around and around, and felt the hands around his ankles tighten. Leaving ground, there wasn't much the green-clothed man could do to stop his friend from throwing him around. Neji increased his speed until he was sure Lee could feel blood running to his head fast, and then flung him in the direction of the closest tree. That move was rather unprofessional and not as smooth as his usual moves, but it worked nonetheless. Neji was even slightly proud of it; he hadn't used chakra at all. Only his strength.

He watched the moving lump of green spandex come to life and give a shaky thumbs up, then turned off his Byakugan.

"...Nice... move!" Lee muttered, then staggered his way back from the tree that had 'cushioned' his fall. Neji was about to give his reply, but was interrupted.

"Lee? ...Neji?" they heard, and Neji turned around to see _Sakura._ The pink-haired ninja was dressed in her usual clothes; black shorts, a beige skirt, black sandal-boots and a pale red shirt. Her headband was in place, but she had no pouch, nor any weapons, at least not visible to Neji at the moment. Her gloves were in one of her hands. Flashing an uncertain smile, she walked closer. When she looked at Lee with questioning eyes Neji spoke up.

"...That was only to assure Lee that I am still fully able to defeat him, even with brutal and unpractised moves such as the one he just experienced." he said, and Lee turned to him with a mix of awe and rivalry in his eyes.  
"You are very good at fighting, but with your youthful vocabulary, you could defeat enemies only by talking!" he said, and Neji's eyebrow twitched again.

"My accomplishments are merely consequences of enhanced capabilities." he said.  
"My compliments are merrily concentrated of enchanted cup-abilities!" Lee tried copying.

Hearing that, Sakura laughed heartily. Neji also had troubles holding back his laughter at Lee's failed attempt. _Almost_ shaking with suppressed mirth, he took a deep breath to calm down.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"Ah, nothing! Gai would have been proud to hear that!" Sakura said in a cheerful voice, and Lee's eyes sparkled as he tightened a fist in front of his face.

"You are right, Beautiful Cherry Blossom! I have to remember that line and tell him later!" he said.  
"...But... do you think I can make other youthful one-liners and use them when I talk with other people?" he asked, his face gleaming with hope and expectation.

"If you practice, it'll work." Sakura said, but she was greeted with silence. Lee straightened his back and turned to watch her for some long seconds, making her slightly uncomfortable. Right before she was about to ask him what was wrong, he once again spoke up.

"Watching the shimmer of your eyes makes my soul mould into sunlight which is reflected by the water and blinds whoever passes and contributes to my youth!" he said, earning him a strained smile. Neji suppressed the chill of disgust mixed with mirth and cleared his voice.

"You have to train more before speaking like that, Lee." he said. Lee then looked into _his_ eyes.  
"...Watching your eyes make my soul feel like youthful water devoid of gravity!" he tried. Neji frowned and grit his teeth angrily.

"Who are you trying to impress?!" he demanded with an annoyed edge.

"A youthful girl whose eyes give a glow warm enough to pull me to her by simply glancing in my direction..." Lee said dreamily, then he walked away as if treading on clouds. He waved an arm as he went, silently wishing them goodbye. Sakura and Neji were left in wonder. Personally, Neji had thought his friend was interested in Sakura. Lee most likely was, surely, but was there really someone else that Lee was even _more_ fond of? Who was the girl in question?

"Eeh? Who would have though that he was in love with someone?" Sakura uttered with a lopsided smile, watching Lee disappear out of sight.

Then, as soon as he was out of sight, she raised a hand holding her gloves, then put them on.  
Flexing and tightening her hands after the black gloves were on, she looked up at him.

"Do you remember promising me a training lesson? Or are you too exhausted from your training with Lee?" she asked, a smile playing at her lips. He returned the favor by smirking, and as an answer to her question, he jumped back.

Their fight commenced.

Despite having seen the remains of some of Sakura's fights before, he had yet to see her in action. She hadn't seen him use any of his newest jutsus either. He could use that to his advantage. Sakura loaded her legs with chakra and jumped back, then stooped down to take hold of the barely visible root of a tree. With some help from chakra infused arms, she pulled up the tree and let it rest on her right shoulder. Her chakra remained inside her, not leaving her, which would help her in the long run. However, if she decided to make a giant hole in the ground or punch him really hard, her chakra would leave her and she would be left tired. That was all there was to it.

Or was it?

Although the tree was heavy, she used her well-preserved chakra to move fast, and effectively closed the distance between them. Swinging her tree, Neji lowered to the ground and felt his hair barely touch the tree as the object passed above him. After the tree passed, he saw an opening. Her entire right side was exposed as she was still holding the tree. He rushed in her direction, but she let go of the root with her right hand to defend herself with it. Her left hand kept holding onto the tree, which continued swinging around until it was once again dangerously close to Neji. This time it was too close to the ground for him to lower, so he jumped.

In mid-air, however, he couldn't move around freely. There was nowhere for him to gain leverage, and to his surprise, Sakura forced the tree up towards him. Neji moved his legs in its direction and let his feet take the hit, using it as leverage to jump away. Sakura wasn't even tired yet.

Sakura watched as Neji used the tree to get away from her. Instead of blocking or dodging her attack, he had used it against her. That move was good. And bad for her. But she wasn't going to drop the tree in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Neji was a Hyuuga, fully capable of taking her out with a single tap of his fingers. Sakura knew better than choosing that option, and knew she had to keep him away from her no matter what it took. But how could she get in a good hit like this?

In brief, she had three main options, namely medical jutsus, hand-to-hand jutsus and genjutsu. The last one would have to be done with extreme caution, and she could only include elements that his Buakygan wouldn't notice. For instance, she _not_ could make an illusion in which another person appeared, because his Byakugan would see that the third person didn't truly exist. She had to create an illusion containing _no_ extra persons, chakras or objects that would give her away. In other words, a powerful, but small genjustu.

She stopped spinning the tree around her and let it rest in front if her. Neji, who had repeatedly tried to get closer to her so he could get in a good hit, came to a halt. Sakura frowned a little. How could she make hand seals without him noticing it? She thought for a brief second, then folded her hands by linking her fingers and let her palms face him. Pushing until her knuckles made small cracking sounds, she let go and moved her fingers as if to get some circulation. Then she took hold of the root of the tree again. Neji watched her, suspicious.

During her small 'break', Sakura had activated an illusion, and watched as it started working. In addition to herself and their normal surroundings, Neji would an extra presence. Not chakra, only a growing _presence_ of someone he didn't know. Sakura let it feel strong, but didn't let it feel as if it was too close. Thus, Neji's eyes flashed in the direction of the unknown presence of the 'person' that he could not find anywhere.

Once again holding the average-sized tree, Sakura stepped closer to Neji. His attention snapped to the tree she held, and she raised it until it was standing upright above her. If he moved closer, she would smash him into the ground with it. ...But if he got hit, she would heal him. The two of them watched each other, each of them trying to read the other. His intriguing silver eyes scrutinized her every move, giving her an uncomfortable sensation of something fluttering inside her. Frowning, she focused on Neji and the illusion he was in.

To her surprise, he dashed in her direction with no signs of stopping. All her ANBU instincts told her to bring down the tree to smash her opponent into the ground to leave him unconscious, at the very least, but she could see that he was obviously _not_ planning to evade her attack. Was he testing her? Did he want to know if she was able to injure him? Frowning, Sakura lowered and jumped up only a little, still holding the tree. The second she landed again, she released the chakra that was building in her legs.

Two craters formed in seconds, overlapping each other, causing a small earthquake as cracks grew from where she was standing. Controlling her chakra as it travelled through the dry and muddy ground, she made sure a crack opened right where Neji stepped. As the ground calmed down, he was left with both his legs trapped. Held in place, Neji grit his teeth and looked up as Sakura walked over to him with a triumphant smile playing at her lips. Without straining herself, she threw the tree away as if it were a stick.

"How's that?" she taunted, looking down at him. To her confusion, he smirked and gave an indifferent 'hn', then disappeared in a puff of smoke. In the wake up the smoke, a log appeared. The simple, but effective place-switching jutsu took her off guard, and her eyes widened.

Arms appeared in her field of vision on both sides, too fast for her to escape. The hand on her right grabbed her left wrist, while the hand on her left side took hold of her right wrist. Then her arms were pulled back until her back hit a surface that couldn't _possibly_ be identified as something else than a well-toned chest.

"...Surrender." Neji muttered, dangerously close to her ear. His breath danced down her neck, making her loose her focus. As a result the illusion stopped, leaving Neji's attention on _her_ only. Desperately wishing she wouldn't have held back at all earlier, Sakura tried ignoring the fact that his arms were around her. It could have been called an embrace if this wouldn't have been a _fight_. In the blink of an eye, he could block her chakra with a simple tap of his fingers, which would leave her practically helpless.

But then again, Sakura _could_ load her legs with chakra and step on his feet.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Heh! Vacation is finally here! Me Is Happy!  
Next chappie will be talky, both about ANBU and a certain arranged marriage. Most likely.


	13. Pride

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but like many others, I wish I was a billionaire with enough resources to buy the show if it was for sale.

Please don't skip paragraphs?

* * *

Pride

* * *

"You... You held back, didn't you." Sakura asked, but it sounded more like a statement. She seemed to notice this and flashed a small smile to make up for it.

"I was not the only one who held back, apparently." Neji commented, smirking. That earned him a small frown and a smile, making her look uncertain. The two of them were sitting on some boulders that were warm from the sunlight, despite the tall trees that towered above them. There was even a small stream nearby, from which both of them had gotten something to drink from earlier.

"Yeah... Should we make it up later then, without holding back?" she suggested.  
"I would like that, judging from what I have heard about your skills." Neji said absently, not looking at her.  
"...From what _I've_ heard, you are even stronger. A genius from the Hyuuga Clan?" she tried. At that, Neji shut his eyes for a brief moment, then turned to face her.

"To be given such a title has its downsides." he said, watching Sakura's unchanging face as she remained silent. His eyes wandered down to her neck, which Sasuke had trailed with his lips a mere week ago. That had made Sakura's eyes fill with confusion and fear. Despite the fact that Sasuke was long gone, the very image failed to disappear from Neji's mind. Searching for a way to forget it, Neji slowly forced himself to look away again.

"Downsides? Like what..?" Sakura asked carefully, wondering if it was okay for her to ask.

"...The Elders of the Hyuuga Clan insist that I should join ANBU." he replied, wondering if he should tell her more.  
"You're more than strong enough. You can even become a captain if you try." Sakura said, wanting him to explain.

"With power comes responsibility. With responsibility comes sacrifices. ANBU requires its members to be ready at all times. They must not be hindered by emotions, injuries or death. If they are asked to sacrifice their lives in order to protect Konoha, they will do so without question, with pride. When they are not on missions, their different positions in ANBU requires them to train until their limits are reached. Then they have to train even more in order to extend their limits, to be able to improve even more and never cease in power. In ANBU, the chances of once growing old are close to non-existent. Most people die when they are young, at the slightest flash of hesitance in a fight." Neji explained.

Sakura's eyes were a little wider than usual, but otherwise she showed no signs of surprise. Slowly, she smiled a worried smile, knitting her eyebrows a little.

"I know. I don't want to be in ANBU either." she said. Neji arched an eyebrow at that.  
"But you are already in ANBU." he stated.

"I want to get out of there, because if I don't, there's a chance I'll be sent after Sasuke." she said quietly, and her smile faded. Neji found her impossible to read. Judging from her absent look, she could still be frightened, or concerned, about what Sasuke could have done to her. She didn't want to see him again. However, her expression could also mean that she was sad because she would never see him again. Perhaps she missed him.

In short, her absent gaze could mean that she missed Sasuke, _or_ that she didn't want to see him again at all. It frustrated

Neji to no end that he was unable to find out which was the case. Her eyes were too confusing. Their emerald shine held many emotions, which was usually a bad thing for a ninja. But Sakura's orbs held so much that it was impossible for him to be able to read and divide between different feelings. As if noticing him watching her, she let her green eyes move to his, and their gazes locked. Her orbs were like olivine pools, in which jade and emerald mingled to create a color he always failed to describe.

Neji had to remember not to say any of those thoughts aloud when he was around Lee.  
His spandex-wearing teammate would re-shape and destroy those words in his quest to find the ultimate, youthful pick-up-line.

"...Hm." Neji muttered absently, watching her. She was slowly getting conscious of the fact that they were watching each other so quietly, and he vaguely wondered if she felt uncomfortable.

"Are you going to join ANBU anyway?" she asked. Neji sighed and looked away, feeling peaceful for some reason.  
"I may join some of the lower ranks, but I am not planning to become a full-time, high-ranked member. That would probably drain me after only some years." he said silently.

"I think I'll quit... Like Kakashi-senpai. He used to be in ANBU, but look at him now." Sakura said cheerfully, thinking of her ex-teacher's tendency to be late at all times. She seemed to be quite fond of her friends, especially her teammates. That wasn't surprising.

But did she still care for Sasuke, like before? That simple question kept haunting him.

"Indeed. Even if Kakashi-san is loaded with missions most of the time now, as a jounin, it must have been even worse in ANBU." Neji said, smirking. It felt slightly odd for him to speak so open-mindedly like this. There they were, speaking about ANBU as if it were a ninja vacuum cleaner. They were overdoing it a little, but it was partially true nonetheless.

"If you join ANBU's lower ranks, will the Hyuuga Elders be content? Or do they want you to do more than that?" Sakura asked. To her, the question was innocent, but it placed Neji in a difficult situation nonetheless. He could tell her about the arranged marriage, but it would be better not to. But that would be the same as lying.

...What was this? Was Neji afraid of telling her? Afraid? ...Such a thing couldn't be allowed.

"They have also partially arranged a marriage for me." he said before he could regret it. Sakura's eyes widened and she blinked. Then her expression changed as she narrowed her eyes in doubt. After some seconds she just looked slightly confused, and also concerned, if he read her right.

"_Partially..._ arranged..?" she asked. Neji frowned a little. He was starting to dislike this already.  
"I am free to choose my wife on my own... As long as she is a member of the Hyuuga clan." he said in a monotone voice, watching her intently to search for a reaction.

A very long silence ensued. The silence lasted for half a second.  
...Which was not really that long.

"What?!" she exclaimed, frowning deeply. This amused him.  
"What if you want to marry someone else?" she demanded, frowning. Her eyes were shining. Was it because she thought the Elders were being unfair? Or something else?  
"They made it that was to ensure that my Byakugan traits and skills are delivered to the next generation." he said. At that, Sakura's mouth turned into a thins line and her eyebrow twitched.

"They plan far ahead, don't they... They won't even be-..." she started, but stopped herself and looked away. Neji smirked.  
"Hm. I know... They will most likely not even be alive when that time comes." he completed, and Sakura glanced back at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude..." she mumbled, barely audible, with an embarrassed frown.  
"No problem. They _are_ old, after all." he said in a stoic, yet indifferent voice.

"Eh?! How can you say that?" she exclaimed, but she was unable to hold back her growing smile. He raised a brow nonchalantly in her direction, making her smile turn into a small grin as she shook her head.

"Watch out, or your dignity will get scratched, mighty Hyuuga." she said.  
"Except from you, no one heard me. Thus, _their_ dignity is more scratched than mine at the moment." he said, his voice still stoic, but also determined.

"Huh? So, there's a difference between _your_ dignity and _theirs_?" she asked, genuinely interested. Neji turned to her with eyes that were slightly wider than usual, taken off guard. He had never thought of it that way. Sakura seemed to notice.

"Then, say... If you become an ANBU captain and marry someone from the Hyuuga Clan, that will ensure respect and honor for the Hyuuga Elders... _But_... if you do all that _against_ your will, won't that be bad for your own dignity? I mean, fighting for one's own life and honor, that how it's usually done, isn't it? If you yield to someone else's will, that lowers your dignity. ...Right?" she tried. When he didn't reply, only watched her in wonder, she continued.

"In other words, if you bow to the will of others, in this case the Elders, that helps _their_ pride much more that yours. If you resist, as politely as possible of course, then your own pride will grow even more. That's not called _rebelling._ That's called... standing up for yourself." she said, first eagerly, then hesitantly, trying out her own words as she spoke. Neji listened, and while one part of him silently screamed for him to watch out, the rest of him found reason in her words. It was intimidating as much as it was intriguing.

Sakura watched him, becoming more uncomfortable by the second. By the looks of it, she had given him some ideas. She wasn't too sure if that was good, and was about to say something about it, but was interrupted.

"That even makes sense." he said absently, seemingly baffled, even though his expression and voice remained calm.  
"My father... He used to say... that every ninja is his own sanctuary." he said, barely audible, not watching her.

"Sanctuary..?" she wondered.

"That was what he said. Each sanctuary holds the feelings, memories and pride of a person." he said, then frowned, as if wondering if he remembered right.  
"Or was it willpower..?" he added, not really to her.

"...When I asked him what it meant, he just told me to be open-hearted and follow my own paths. I didn't understand back then, because I wasn't the one who made decisions for myself. He usually helped me out, by simply asked what _I_ would like. After he died, others made decisions for me without asking me what I thought of it." he said, and Sakura found it hard to hear him at all. He sounded as if he spoke to himself in order to convince himself rather than her. Then he slowly turned to her with a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, this probably doesn't make any sense to you." he said, his voice sounding like usual again.

"No, it's okay. My dad also says it's important to follow your heart... But then again, he's not a ninja. He's a couch-potato, just slouching all day." she said, almost pouting. Then she looked up to see Neji give the tiniest of smiles; a smirk including both corners of his mouth.

"Your father is a wise couch-potato, then." he said in a content voice.

Staring, Sakura tried to memorize that smile combined with his voice. She doubted she'd witness it again, and therefore, she wanted to remember it. Not everyone got to see a kind-looking Neji. At the moment, he wasn't frowning, nor did his face look blank and emotionless. It stirred something unnameable in her. Something she had never felt before. A new sensation, different from friendship, but not like the feelings she'd had for Sasuke either. It was something clean and simple, yet it fluttered so deep inside her that she was afraid she'd lose sight of it.

Suddenly frowning, Sakura mentally shook her head. This was not the time to go poetic. Neji looked completely normal already. There was something calm about him, his features were content and his eyes looked absent, as if he was thinking. In a way he was completely opposite from Sasuke, she noted. Not only his long hair and his silver orbs. He was calmer, and never acted rude. Sure, she had seen him go arrogant around Lee and Gai when they showed off their poses, but that was understandable. The fact that he just frowned, showed his self-control around his teammates. Others would either go half blind or laugh until their lungs punctured.

"So... are you going to talk with the Elders?" she asked. A mental image of a very small insect with long hair and silver eyes, sitting in front of old ant-eaters with beard, appeared in her mind. If such a scene ever happened, she would be partially guilty. She was the one who gave him the idea.

"...First I need to know if it'll be worth it." he said in a seemingly normal voice, and then he turned to her. His barely visible, yet confident frown was nothing compared to his intense eyes. Sakura unconsciously backed away, happy not to be his enemy. Flashing a nervous smile, she held up her hands. Why did it feel like he intimidated her? Why did he make her feel so uncomfortable?

"Well, if you decide to go through with it, I'm sure you can do it... I mean, with your talking skills and all..." she said, mostly to break the silence.  
As if reading her thoughts, he smirked. Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch at her foolishness. She needed to pull herself together.

"Anyway, good luck, Neji." she said, making sure she sounded as determined as Neji looked.

* * *

The two of them walked down the streets, none paying much attention to the people and activity around them. Everyone were busy as usual; buying or selling, talking or chatting, walking or working. As it was getting late, people were in a rush to finish whatever they were doing at the moment. Kids ran around, ignoring their parents when they were being called. In the fuss, no one paid any notable attention to Sakura or Neji when they passed. The two didn't mind, but the crowd was busier than usual. Sakura was about to suggest jumping from rooftop to rooftop, but stopped upon seeing Neji disappear behind some particularly busy men carrying crates and boxes.

"...Neji?" she tried once the men passed, doubting he could hear her. She walked towards where Neji had been and continued to the only place he could have disappeared into; an alleyway. There were fewer people there in the dark, but as she emerged into the light on the other side, there wasn't even a single person nearby. Thinking she had lost Neji, which was rather amateurish for a ninja like her, Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Neji?" she said again, and her voice seemed loud compared to the distant chatter from behind her. Letting her shoulders drop slightly, she just walked along the empty streets while pondering where he could have gone. People didn't just disappear like that. Or perhaps he hadn't disappeared at all, maybe _she_ was the one who had vanished from sight.

Her train of thoughts stopped as she passed by an old gate. No, not old, _ancient._ That was how it looked. The gate and the fence were both taller than her, and the old wood of which they were made looked like it was just about to crumble. The faint, cold color indicated that the wood had once been painted blue, but after years of survival in all kinds of weather, it had eventually turned gray. Sakura stopped and watched the gate. Somehow, it seemed familiar.

And it was open.

Curiousness got the best of her, and she glanced around to see if anyone watched her. Seeing that the street was still empty, Sakura hurriedly walked through the open gate and continued inside. There were many trees in there, with branches thick enough to keep the last sun rays out, leaving the small garden in darkness. The single source of light was a street lamp, standing alone under the ceiling of leaves. Its light flickered weakly, stopping completely every now and then. Sakura guessed the garden had once belonged to a ninja, because it seemed as if no one had been there in ages. Whatever happened to the owner would remain unknown, but Sakura doubted he or she would come back.

Something else caught her eyes, and she walked closer to the middle of the small garden. There, in between the tall grass, weeds and other wild plants, there was a fountain. Finally remembering why the garden had looked so familiar, Sakura stepped closer to the sight. The fountain was much smaller than she recalled it, and no water was running in it. The dry stone object was full of cracks and seemed to be sloping a little.

This was where she had first met Neji.

Smiling, she recalled how he had helped her back home. Back then, when she got lost, she had thought she was in more trouble than any other person she would ever meet. But then she found Neji sitting on the edge of the fountain and understood that he was in even more pain than herself. She didn't remember how, exactly, but she had comforted him. In turn he helped her back to her parents. That event took place even before she knew Sasuke's name. She had found the death of Neji's father completely horrible, and it had really saddened her to see how it hurt him.

But then Sasuke's clan was killed by Uchiha Itachi. Her pity for him had been even greater than her sorrow for Neji. She wanted to help Sasuke, to assist him, to be needed by him. To rebuild him. Frowning, Sakura shook her head at those memories. Sasuke's heart had been polluted beyond repair by his desire for revenge. Neji, on the other hand... Well, he didn't have a reason to seek revenge, and according to Tenten, he was stubborn, but Sakura had never seen him act out of hate. In his fight with Naruto in the Chuunin Exams he had been filled with rage and a need to be acknowledged, yes, but she had never seen him act with _hate,_ like Sasuke.

What was this? What was she trying to prove by putting Neji in a good light like that?

"Sakura?" she heard and spun around to see none other than Neji.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, seemingly oblivious to her wide eyes. Or perhaps he just pretended not to see her surprise. She had thought the one calling her name was the owner of the overgrown garden, but that was impossible. The owner was most likely a ninja, long dead, and said ninja couldn't possibly know her name by just looking at her back. Thinking fast, Sakura tried to find a plausible answer to Neji's question.

"You disappeared in that crowd and I tried to find you, but then I found this garden instead. It looked familiar, so I entered to have a look..." she said, her voice turning quieter by the second.

"Well? ...Do you remember?" he asked, walking closer to her from the half open gate.  
"...Yeah." she replied, turning just enough for her to see the old fountain again.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
If you don't remember the fountain memory, have a look at the first half of the first chappie...  
I would have updated even earlier, but I was...very busy... watching... Bleach... (-dodges toilet seats-)


	14. Rivalry

Disclaimer: I don't own Nej- ehrr... Naruto.

Imma back! Har-har-har! (sugar moment). Let the love and drama begin! ...appetizers: humor and fluff..?

Don't know how a kotatsu (table) looks like? Google it. ;)

* * *

Rivalry

* * *

"...Yeah." she replied, turning just enough for her to see the old fountain again.

"Yeah, I remember." she said again, just for good measure. She remembered it well, but couldn't quite get rid of a sneaking suspicion. That memory stirred something inside her. It made her feel good, like something warm. As that thought glued to her subconsciousness, she turned to watch Neji warily through slightly narrowed eyes. His expression struck her as unusual, and she couldn't read it. His eyes seemed distant when he looked at the fountain at her side.

"That was long ago, wasn't it..." she said, mentally arching her brow at her nostalgia.

"...It was." Neji said, pulling away from whatever he was thinking about. The two of them stood there, watching the fountain in the flickering light of the single street lamp. If it wasn't for the lamp, they could barely have seen a thing at all. The trees, though small, let their heavy branches drink the last sun rays and leave only shadows behind.

Then, as the light flickered off for some long seconds with no signs of turning back on, Sakura turned to Neji again.

"We should go before someone starts wondering who's here." she said, but both of them were aware no one knew they were in the garden at all. Even so, he nodded and followed her when she walked back outside.

The sun had already hidden behind the mountains, but it was still much lighter out there than at the fountain. Neji and Sakura went down the street, none really knowing where they were heading. Would they leave and go to their houses, or would one of them follow the other to their home? Sakura, oblivious to the unusual silence, looked at the ground in front of her while walking next to her friend. Or didn't he consider her his friend? Her thought were buzzing around in her mind, threatening to give her a headache. Vaguely registering that they walked up some small stairs and past some sculptures, she knew they were already inside the Hyuuga compound.

"Neji!" she heard, and looked up. In front of them, a person with long, dark hair and light purple eyes stared at Neji. She wore an indigo yukata, or perhaps kimono. It looked like something in the middle between. If Sakura guessed right, she would say the young woman looked _hungry_. Obviously being a Hyuuga, she still managed to be polite to some extent though.

"Ah-" Neji started.

"Neji, good to see you. What brings you here at this hour?" the Hyuuga asked. Sakura was pretty sure she was from the Hyuuga Main Family, not the Branch Family like Neji. That had to be why she didn't use a honorific when speaking to him. It annoyed her a little, but then again, she didn't use an honorific either. Was that bad? Should she use one?

"I have been training." Neji replied, bowing his head only a little.  
"Oh? With who?" the woman asked. She looked a little bit like Hinata, but her personality reminded Sakura of Anko, somehow. She paid no attention to Sakura at all.

"With Rock Lee and Haruno Sakura." Neji said. There wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice, but he didn't seem hostile either.

"I see... I have heard the news from Hiashi-sama." she said, smiling slyly, like a hunter approaching her prey. Sakura's eyebrow twitched slightly, knowing the Hyuuga wouldn't notice anyway. Neji said nothing. He had probably already been told that his entire clan would find out about the arranged marriage. _Partially_ arranged, Sakura mentally corrected herself. Apparently, Neji was popular despite being from the branch family. A genius.

"Well? Have you found someone of interest?" the woman asked, blinking slowly while scrutinizing Neji, whose face remained stoic.

"Yes." he replied simply.

Surprised, Sakura turned to him and stared with wide eyes. Who? Neji remained expressionless, but not emotionless, judging from the mirth in his eyes when he watched the Hyuuga woman in front of him.

"Huh? ...Who?" the woman demanded, and for the first time, Sakura wanted him to answer. She had a guess. Could it by any chance be Tenten? Sakura calmed down a little at that thought, but still didn't like it. All of a sudden she felt empty. Be careful, she reminded herself, and wiped her expression off and turned to the Hyuuga woman.

Neji didn't answer her.

"Who?" the woman tried again, this time slowly, while approaching him until their faces were too close, in Sakura's opinion. On purpose, Neji showed his discomfort, but the woman didn't get the hint. She only tilted her head and blinked once, her eyes wide in expectation. Some of Neji's hair, which had made its way over his shoulder, billowed a little as she breathed. Neji narrowed his eyes a little at that. In turn, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if the Hyuuga in front of him had bad breath.

Then she arched her eyebrows impatiently. Apparently, Neji was getting tired, because he stretched out an arm and put it around Sakura's shoulders.

Wide eyed and taken off guard, Sakura let him pull her closer until she was practically using him as support. His strong grip on her shoulder had taken her completely by surprise. Furiously commanding her heart to slow down, she tried to relax. This was an act. It had to be. She kept telling that to herself over and over again while desperately trying to ignore the strong, warm, good-smelling, safe arm around her. No, not strong, warm, good-smelling and safe arm, but strong, normal, yet strange-smelling and joking arm. Yes.

"Ah, Neji, you almost fooled me!" the Hyuuga finally said, waving a hand leisurely at him.  
"...What do you mean?" he inquired.

"Well, _she_ is obviously _not_ from the Hyuuga Clan, so you can't fool me into thinking she is your... _chosen_ one." she explained. Sakura couldn't help but feel like some object.

A rather long silence ensued, in which Sakura tried her best to ignore a certain arm and a certain annoying and victorious look from a certain woman from a certain clan. She had a strong feeling of being stepped on, as if someone looked down on her. She didn't like it. It forced that cold, empty feeling back. A weak frown made its way to her face. That woman looked down on her, and Neji used her to create some distance between him and his fellow Hyuuga family member. In reality, Sakura was quite sure he wanted to be with Tenten. She couldn't blame him; Tenten was a nice person and a good friend.

But why was it that the more emptiness filled her, the heavier she felt?  
Why did she feel heavy when she felt empty?

She shouldn't even feel bad in the first place. She couldn't blame Neji for wanting to avoid that woman.

"I apologize, but we have to leave." Neji said, his voice only barely lighter than usual as he lowered his head to the Hyuuga in front of him. Without waiting for a farewell, he tightened his grip on Sakura's shoulder and walked away from there. Sakura let him show the way and absently followed his lead.

Then matters took a turn for the worse. They were being followed. The woman from before walked behind them, just out of sight, obviously trying to find out if Neji really _was_ attached to Sakura. That posed a problem. It also made her feel very uncomfortable.

If Neji kept holding around Sakura, that woman would eventually leave them alone. But what if she started a rumor? Then again, Neji could speak his way out of that easily.  
But if he let go of Sakura, he would once again be stamped as 'free', and girls would start hunting for him again.

Of that reason he held onto her with no signs of letting go, making her feel like some kind of life belt. His face, however, stayed remarkably calm. Content, even. But that was not enough to keep their stalker away.

"You are only acting, just to avoid me and the others, Neji." the Hyuuga said in a normal voice, certain that his trained senses would let him hear her. _Shoot_. What now? She knew about the act. Neji looked over his shoulder, flashing a barely noticeable smirk. Then he moved his hand from Sakura's shoulder to her waist. With his firm grip, he once again pulled her closer to him. On the inside, Sakura's eyebrows were twitching so violently that her eyes were about to pop out. On the outside, however, she forced herself to flash an uncertain smile.

Neji could act.  
But so could Sakura.

* * *

He noticed how uncomfortable she felt, which in turn made him feel guilty. There he was, trying to save himself from the woman that followed them, as well as all the women that would undoubtedly stalk him later. But what about Sakura? She was able to take care of herself, and only he knew where she lived, but she would still be in trouble later. How would he solve that? Remaining calm, he walked with Sakura at his side all the way to his house.

Sakura was hiding her chakra. Probably out of instinct, or perhaps habit. Once they stopped in front of his front door a new problem occurred. If he truly wanted the Hyuuga lady to believe that he was taken, he would have to say goodbye to Sakura in some sort of romantic way. Not good. How to avoid that? Surely, if they just left without as much as a hug, the Hyuuga lady just wouldn't buy it. While thinking, Neji opened his door and glanced at Sakura. She seemed to be preoccupied with with something else, though.

Thus, frowning a little, Neji pulled Sakura inside with him. He felt her hesitance when he did, but she let him pull her into the house nonetheless. Then he let go of her and closed the door. With his frown still evident in his face, he turned to Sakura to explain.

"I'm sorry... for using you as some kind of shield." he said and saw a flicker of something in her eyes that he couldn't recognize, making his frown deepen slightly.  
"That's okay, I understand. If you wouldn't have, she wouldn't have left you alone." she said, her voice disturbingly normal as she gave a faint smile.

"Also, I apologize for pulling you inside like that. It was either that... or saying goodbye outside in a rather romantic manner." he said, his eyebrow twitching. Sakura's smile looked apologetic now. The two of them just stood there for a long moment, each waiting for the other person to say something. Neji wondered if the Hyuuga lady had disappeared yet, or if she was still waiting in case Sakura left. He turned to look in the direction of his living room, and found a simple solution to their problem.

"...You can leave through the back door in the garden if you wish." he suggested, and she relaxed some more. Then she nodded and lowered to take of her sandal boots. Neji absently did the same, considering to tell her that she didn't have to remove her shoes before walking inside. But that would make it sound like he wanted her to leave as soon as possible, which would be rude.

Slowly, Sakura grabbed her sandal boots in one hand and walked inside. Neji followed behind her and watched as she glanced around inside, looking as though her eyes were drinking the room. Somehow, that made him like his home even more. She had been there before, yes, but then she hadn't really looked as though she appreciated his house. She stopped in front of the glass sliding door, which was currently hidden by the long, thick curtains. Neji walked closer.

But then he stopped dead. Someone knocked on the glass door.

Sakura quickly moved away from the window as if an enemy hid on the other side. Glancing at Neji, whose thoughts were racing, Sakura silently asked where she could hide. He nodded in the direction of the hall leading to the two bedrooms, and she disappeared in the blink of an eye. Neji noticed that she was still hiding her chakra, which made him more than just a little grateful. He knew that knocking. It didn't matter if it was the front door or the glass door, he could tell from the fast, impatient tapping that it was Hanabi. Not wasting more time, he pulled aside the dark brown curtains and the light green veils, then opened the sliding door.

"Hanabi-san, what-"

"Neji!" she cut him off, sounding eager. Hinata's little sister and the daughter of Hiashi, the Head of the Hyuuga Clan, stepped inside. Neji watched as she hurriedly removed her shoes and turned to him.  
"My friend told me you brought a girl with you home! Is that true?" she asked, looking at him through narrowed eyes while smirking. Was that the reason she knocked on the glass door in stead of the front one? To try to catch him in the act? In a short second, Neji readied himself to speak his way out of trouble.

"What are you talking about? And who?" he said, sounding so disinterested that Hanabi's smirk turned into a sulky expression.

"Hn!" she exclaimed, and without asking, she turned and ran in the direction of the bedrooms. Neji remained calm on the outside, and shut the glass door and pulled the curtains, then followed her slowly anyway.

In the hall with the bedrooms, Hanabi had two choices. The door on the left would take her to his own bedroom, and if she walked to the right, she would walk into the spare bedroom. Hanabi chose his one. Neji allowed himself to frown once she was out of sight, as he didn't know which room Sakura was in. He didn't have to wonder for long, though, as Sakura hurriedly, yet quietly, exited the guest bedroom and swiftly moved past him without a word. Her expression was rather amusing, though. Her face looked stiff, but not entirely uncomfortable. It almost seemed to him as if she enjoyed having her abilities and skills tested like this.

To Neji's horror, yet another knock was heard. From the glass door. Why was his luck so lousy today?

Sakura, who had been on her way to the glass door, stopped dead. She was trapped; unable to exit through the glass door because of the new visitor, and reluctant to go out the front door because their 'stalker' could be waiting to confirm her suspicions of Sakura and Neji _not_ being a couple. In a matter of seconds, Hanabi would come out of his bedroom and check on the guest bedroom, or she would hear the knock and walk back into the living room. Sakura looked at him, her eyes wide as she searched for a solution. Neji only glanced around. Could she hide behind the kitchen counter? ...No, that would make her too visible.

Watching Sakura, he saw her grit her teeth and frown, still holding her boots. Then she lowered to the floor next to the kotatsu table. It was lower than usual tables and was covered by a blanket-like table warmer, or futon. Under it, hidden completely by the futon, was a heater. That way people could sit on the tatami pillows with their legs under the table to stay warm. On top of the faintly lime colored futon blanket was a plate of dark wood that served as a surface for Neji to use as any other normal table. Tatami pillows with the same color as the table warmer, were placed around the table for people to sit on.

Suddenly he heard Hanabi, and watched Sakura in surprise as she grabbed the light green table warmer and hurried to hide under the table. Under the _table_. With twitching eyebrows, not of embarrassment but rather mirth, he ignored Hanabi and hurried to the glass sliding door. After pulling the curtains aside and opening the door, none other than Hinata greeted him.

"Um... Good evening..." she said.  
"Hinata-sama..." Neji said, not understanding why she, too, would use the glass door instead of the front one.

"I'm sorry for intruding, but Hanabi spoke with her friend... Then she pulled me along into your garden... I'm sorry for her rudeness..." Hinata said while blushing a little. She wasn't really watching him, but Hanabi.

"No, it's fine, Hinata-sama. There is no need to apologize." he said, his face not betraying how uncomfortable he felt at the moment. He hoped Sakura was well hidden. Hanabi mumbled something, then ran back towards the rooms again. Neji guessed that she was on her way to search for his 'girlfriend' in the guest room.

"Ah- Hanabi!" Hinata called, worried.  
"...Would you like to come inside?" Neji offered mechanically out of respect to Hinata, as she was the heir of the Hyuuga Clan. In reality, he hoped she would decline.

"Actually, I only followed Hanabi to try to stop her. I'll be leaving shortly, so no, thank you." she said with an apologetic smile, and Neji couldn't help but relax a little.

Hanabi came back into the living room and sulkily put her shoes back on while eyeing Neji. How old was she? Twelve? Neji countered the look and resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at her while Hinata watched. Hanabi tended to be rude at times, but at least she respected others by not insulting them directly. After finishing, she stepped outside and stopped next to Hinata.

"I don't get it. My friend _said_ you brought a woman in here with you. I even tried ambushing you by coming in you back door! Either you're telling the truth, _or_ you're just really good at hiding things." she said. Hinata glanced at her worriedly.

"I am flattered." Neji said, keeping his face stoic.

"Then, goodbye..." Hinata said, slightly unsure of what else to do.  
"Farewell, Hinata-sama, Hanabi-san." he said. They left him and exited his garden through the partially hidden gate there.

Neji had no idea how Hanabi had found it, but didn't think too much about it. Once they were out of sight, he shut the glass door and pulled the curtains. Then he turned to watch his table. Sakura ought to have difficulties breathing already, considering the fact that the heater was on. He carefully approached and lowered to his knees, then took hold of the blanket-like table futon and glanced under the table. A very uncomfortable Sakura frowned at him. At that, he suppressed a smirk.

"If you laugh, I'll kill you." she warned in a low voice, her cheeks red from the warmth.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Neji was almost busted. But we want him to tell the Elders himself, don't we?  
Reviews-equal-inspiration.


	15. The Elders

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto yet.

Thanks SO much for the reviews!  
Okay, the one who told Hanabi that she saw Sakura and Neji together was the _stalker._ You know, the one who had a chat with Neji. That's how Hanabi knew, and why she went to Neji's place:)

* * *

The Elders

* * *

Sakura looked quite helpless in her current position under the kotatsu table. On her back, she glanced at him sideways with dark red cheeks that were caused by the heater. Neji doubted she'd hide under there again. Even so, despite her slightly grumpy face, she seemed to be having a good time. He guessed this wasn't something that happened every day. Her arms were crossed and she looked the other way for a second. Upon seeing her exposed neck, Neji's face darkened as he again remembered how Sasuke had touched her skin with his lips without her permission. He wanted to forget it, to rid himself of that image completely.

"Are you going to help me, or do I have to get out myself?" Sakura asked after turning back to face him, her mirth well hidden, yet not completely gone. Neji smirked.

"...Hn." he replied simply and offered a hand. She accepted easily and locked her hand around his wrist when he did the same. Without straining himself at all, he pulled her out of there and away from the table, then helped her to her legs. She tried to act solemn, as if nothing had happened, but her mouth twitched somewhat.

"Well... I suppose I'll get going, then. Through the glass door, of course, so your stalker won't see me. Hanabi-san and Hinata-chan are gone, right?" she asked, and he merely nodded.  
"Good... Thanks for training with me today." she said, and finally smiled. Neji got a feeling that he had been waiting for her to do that.

"I hope you didn't drain too much of your chakra." he said, thinking of how she manoeuvred that large tree around and finished off with that giant crater.

"No, that's okay. The less chakra I have, the slower I heal. But because I still have a decent amount of chakra left, I'll recover much faster." she assured him, tilting her head only a little. Neji forced his eyes not to flicker to her neck, which Sasuke had almost tasted.

"I see... Chakra regaining differs from person to person, isn't that right? My chakra recovers steadily, it doesn't matter if I have much or not." he said absently, trying to get his thought on other tracks. Sakura flashed yet another smile, but the effect didn't fade; No matter how many times he saw her do that, he didn't get tired of it. She looked happy; delighted.

"Okay. Do you want to train again later, with no holding back?" she asked, eager.  
"Of course. I can't wait to see you lose, Sakura." he said in a bored voice, but kept his face stoic. This earned him a smirk and narrowed eyes.

"Likewise, Neji. When?" she asked in an unfrightened voice, frowning.  
"Can I come by you apartment two days from now? I plan to speak with the Elders tomorrow." he suggested, his mood worsening only a little.

"It's a deal. And... good luck with the Elders. Use your talking skills and you'll be safe!" she assured him, and he flashed half a smile.  
"Ah, and I need to go visit my parents tomorrow... They sent me an invitation earlier, and I haven't seen them in a while." she added thoughtfully while opening the glass door. She backed out while talking, and the curtains were in her way, ruffling her hair as she walked. Once she was free of them, standing in his garden, she stopped.

"Good luck to us. Goodnight, Neji." she said quietly, smiling the softest of smiles while tilting her head, stealing his ability to speak properly. He just looked at her without speaking, stunned. All of a sudden, the thought of the Hyuuga Elders did not intimidate him at all.

Then she left.

* * *

The Hyuuga Elders _did_ intimidate him. They were cold. They were respected. They bulged with dignity. The canyons under their eyes, accompanied by the wrinkly landscapes that were actually their facial skin, meant that they had experienced far more than any other person Neji had ever met. They were so wise that he felt completely insignificant. To them, he was only a member of the branch family. He was called a genuis by many, yes, but the Elders were known to be as immovable in their opinions as the beard stuck in their mouth wrinkles. This was impossible.

Wait... That wasn't the right attitude. He had to be confident. How could he make them seem less powerful?

...The Elders were senile. They were not old, they were ancient. Thus, they wouldn't even hear what he said. Yes, indeed. They were lined up in front of him, all sitting on tatami pillows, dressed in formal Hyuuga robes. Neji also wore robes, only not as flashy as theirs, and sat on his knees before them. He had a pillow as well, but that didn't help much. He imitated them by letting his hands rest on his lap.

"Why are you here, Neji." one of them demanded, and his voice sounded far more dangerous than the man looked. Neji, who had given them a deep bow, held back a frown upon meeting the steel eyes of the old man. Not to lose his concentration, he focused solely on the beard of the elder, which was so long that he could have tied it around his head without trouble. As for his almost equally long moustache, it would have been easy for the man to move it behind his ears.

"I have come to discuss the matter of me joining ANBU, as well as the arranged marriage." Neji said, his voice calm and determined.  
"_Discuss?_ Is there anything you wish to tell us that you believe we will not be pleased with?" an old lady said, the only woman present.

"That, I do not know. Today, I only wish for you to hear what I have to say." he said, staying calm. From the old woman, a 'Hm' was heard, telling him they listened.

"But make it fast. We have other matters to attend to." she said in a quiet, yet important voice. By then, Neji had already come up with an extremely effective way of staying calm: Instead of looking into their eyes, he looked at their noses. They wouldn't notice, and he didn't have to look into their glassy, cold and steel-like eyes. He was gradually getting more confident.

"...Very well. I will get to the point right away, then. You have arranged a marriage for me, and have allowed me to find a suitable wife from the Hyuuga Clan." he started, closing his eyes for a short moment to ready himself.

"Have you, by any chance, already found an appropriate wife?" another elder asked, his voice dry and raspy, as if he'd had nothing to drink for ages.

"...Not from the Hyuuga Clan, no." he said, looking them right in the eyes one by one, unwilling to show weakness. By doing that, he could keep at least a little of his dignity if his request was not approved. Some of them let their eyes widen, while the gray gazes of the others flickered to see how the certain others reacted. Neji, despite feeling anger, surprise, shock, disappointment, and even amusement, radiate from some of them, did not look away once. He was frowning slightly, not of fear, but of determination. Withstanding their gazes was not easy at all.

"You... have found someone else?" one questioned, seemingly one of the disbelieving, yet humored elders. Neji was actually pleased about that.

But had he found someone else? The reason he was there in the first place was Sakura. He had made his final decision when she told him goodbye last night. Upon seeing that slightly apologetic, yet unmistakably tender smile of hers, something had happened to him. He found it impossible to explain with words without making it sound cliché. It was as though she had unlocked a door in his heart, to the deepest room in his soul, and then filled it with something he couldn't live without. Did she know? Did she understand?

Heck, now was not the time to get sentimental. Neji had an image to keep.  
"Yes." he said in a rather arrogant way before he could stop himself. At that, a few of them narrowed their eyes.

"What makes you think we will oblige to that? What will become of your honor?" the lady asked.

"I have quite recently been convinced that there is a certain difference between my own dignity and the dignity of yourselves. Thus, I wish to pursue my own pride, and not yours, by doing what I believe is right. If you do not permit me to chase my own ambitions in the matter of marriage, I may not marry at all." Neji said in a steady voice, earning him a smart smirk from the woman.

"You thought that would make us give in?" she asked, amused. Inside, Neji felt as though he had just been soaked with ice-cold water. Color drained from his face. With clenched teeth and an expression at least as cold as how he felt, Neji looked at the woman with immovable resolution.

It was about time to use his talking skills to his very limit.

* * *

Currently, Sakura was standing in front of the house of her parents. Or more precisely, she had been standing in front of the door for almost five minutes, staring at the handle as if it were poisoned. Would her parents be angry? Their tempers were not always good. Did they miss her? Sakura frowned and grit her teeth, lost in thought.

She hadn't seen them for ages, just like her friends. Only now, she had met her friends again. As for visiting her parents, she'd been postponing quite a lot.

Sakura wore a plain t-shirt with the same color as her usual top, with the Haruno mark on her back. Her beige, loose shorts went down past her knees and were obviously a couple of sizes too large. With black beach sandals, she shifted uncomfortably while wondering if her parents had glanced out of the windows to see if she was there. As that thought struck her, she quickly looked up and scanned the windows with trained eyes, then tightened her fists as she turned back to watch the door. It was just a door. A door with dry, old paint that would fall off if she touched it.

With a little bit too much determination, she frowned deeply and knocked. Much to her chagrin, she had unconsciously concentrated chakra in her fists

The door was knocked off its hinges and fell over slowly. Then it landed with a loud crash. Sakura, endlessly embarrassed, looked at it in helplessness. She had to fix it. Hurriedly, she ran inside and past the fallen door, then quickly picked it up and moved it back where it belonged. Luckily for her, nothing was broken. The door easily opened and closed when she tried it.

But now she was _inside_ the house.

"Sakura..?" she heard and stiffened. Slowly, she turned around to see her mother looking at her with wide eyes that were much too easy to read. She looked sad, happy, touched, relieved... Happiness radiated from her, and she didn't try to hide it. Her long, pink tresses framed her face perfectly, and Sakura couldn't force herself to look away from her teary eyes. Her mother had always been loud, and before Sakura advanced to be a genin, she had found both her and her father annoying. But as time passed, she learned to appreciate them instead. Naruto had never had parents, and Sasuke had lost his... Neji had lost his father.

In a childish way, Sakura never wanted her parents to go away.

Seeing her mother's happiness, she understood that her mother felt the same way about her. But because Sakura was a ninja she had given them far more to worry about than they had ever given her. That made her feel rather guilty.

"Sakura..." her mother said again, quieter the second time, then smiled that sad, but also comforting smile while walking closer. Absently noticing that they were about the same height now, Sakura closed her eyes when her mother embraced her. Slowly, with a face that felt strangely blank, Sakur moved her arms around her mother to return the hug. That had to be some of the most comforting she had ever felt; to have comforting and caring arms wrapped around her, giving her a feeling of being safe and vulnerable at the same time.

How had she managed to live normally without them?  
And how had the others lived for so long without that same kind of bonds? Naruto, Sasuke... Neji...

All of a sudden she got a strong urge to hug them. Not Sasuke, but at least Naruto. That one would be easy. What about Neji? ...Perhaps she should just try to give him an embrace as well. His reaction would be worth it. Unless he got offended, of course...

Sakura became alert upon noticing her mother stifle a sob. Was she crying?

"M-Mum?" she said, and the word sounded strangely unfamiliar. Almost rusty, in a way.  
"I'm sorry, Sakura..." she said, pulling back to watch her with wet eyes. Sakura's eyes glanced between her mother's two teary orbs.

"Come inside..." her mother said, and Sakura quietly followed her mother into the small, cozy living room. Furniture was all over the place, crammed, and plants and pictures adorned the walls and some of the tables. It made her a little uncomfortable to see herself in more than half of them. Nostalgic, in a way. It was hardly room enough for them to move freely, but that didn't matter. On the sofa, her father sat awkwardly with one arm hanging limply, and the other hand hiding his face. He hid well, but judging from past experiences she knew he wasn't mad, or even angry. Annoyed, perhaps, but not angry.

"You... You had us worried." he said quietly once she was seated in her favorite chair. It was as soft as she remembered, but not as white and clean.  
"I'm sorry..." she said, looking down. Her guilt tingled, growing steadily. In the corner of an eye she saw her mother sit down next to her father.

"Naruto-kun... He visited us every now and then, to see if you were home. Every time he had that hopeful expression, and every time, we let him down by telling him we hadn't seen you." her mother said, her voice strained.  
"Ino-chan came a couple of times as well. We told both of them that you'd bought your own place... And that we hadn't heard from you ever since you joined ANBU." she continued, turning almost bitter. Her father continued where she left off.

"When your mother told them you'd joined ANBU, they were shocked. You didn't tell them that, did you..." he asked, his voice dark.

"No, I was... busy..." she said, barely audible, her voice glazed with guilt. Her sad smile didn't lighten the situation.

"Sakura. We... Every week, we went to the memorial stone... to see if the reason you didn't contact us was because you were dead. We thought that maybe, only maybe, you had been killed on a mission." her father said, rendering her completely speechless. She was shocked, to say the very least. With wide eyes and a worried frown, she stared at the two persons in front of her.

"...When we heard you were alive and well, we contacted Naruto-kun and asked him to invite you here because we didn't even know your address. I was going to give you a speech you wouldn't soon forget, but-" he said, but was rudely interrupted as Sakura threw her arms around him in a hug. He stiffened, and remained still for a painfully long moment before sighing and returning her embrace. Sakura was still standing and he was sitting, so he rose to his full height. Once he pulled back he patted her shoulder while frowning deeply, his eyes only slightly wet. Sakura's were, too, but she wasn't frowning. She smiled the smile she'd tried to get used to the last couple of weeks.

Sakura awkwardly found something in her pocket and handed it over.

"Here... I figured I'd write this down just in case... It's my address. Don't give it to everyone who asks for it, I'd like to have some privacy." she said with a twitching eyebrow, slightly embarrassed. Her mother accepted, smiling back at her.

* * *

"Do we understand each other?" Neji asked, trying not to show how tired he was. Talking with the Elders took its toll. Perfect for training, but not really something he'd like to do every day. The ancient Elders, with beard stuck in their wrinkles and a metallic shine in their eyes, scrutinized him, searching for any sign of hesitation.

"I believe so. Let me see...We let you be with a _worthy_ woman who is not from the Hyuuga Clan, and in return, you join ANBU." the most wrinkly man said.  
"Exactly." Neji replied. He would join ANBU, but that didn't mean he had try becoming a captain. On the contrary. If he wanted, he would stay in the lower divisions.

"Do you promise to do your best?" the smart, old woman inquired with a hint of sarcasm.  
"...Yes." he answered, resisting the urge he had to twitch an eyebrow. A faint frown would have to do.

"Very well. Agreed, then." the most important of them said. The others seemed to respect him quite a lot, which helped Neji. That man also had the thickest eyebrows out of all of them. Neji vaguely wondered if that was why he was so respected. Perhaps the others simply didn't dare to say against him because they feared seeing some kind of Gai-like pose. Or was that just Neji's imagination? ...He needed to get out of there before he started imagining things.

"Thank you very much." Neji said, relieved beyond compare. After bowing, he rose to his feet and finally felt blood circulation return to his legs. He would never sit still for that long ever again. _Ever_. After bowing again, deeper the second time, he left them with an odd feeling of impending doom. A good doom, that is.

If that was even possible.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Holy macaroni. I worked hard for you this time!

_Reviews_ make me de_**lirious**_!!


	16. Proof

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Rule One:** Always read here before reading the chapter. (I could decide to say something important for a change!)  
**Rule Two:** Please don't skip paragraphs... (Because I work hard, for hours, with every chapter...)  
**Rule Three:** Reviews make me wreak havoc, in a good way! THANK YOU!!1!1! Constructive criticism is also encouraged, because I want to learn from my mistakes! ;)

* * *

Proof

* * *

Sakura felt strangely delighted.

It felt as though she could step off the ground and walk on thin air. Her talk with her parents had really helped, and her guilt was gone and her actions were forgiven, which made her smile wider than usual. Only one thing kept her from truly leaving ground, she thought. And that was the fact that Neji hadn't showed up yet.

Usually she got up really early to train, but that was not the case today. Neji hadn't showed up yet, and it was already past noon. She had been waiting for hours. They had agreed to meet, hadn't they? Getting sick of waiting, she went outside and headed for his house. Of course, if he was busy, that was okay. Then they could train some other time. Sakura walked slowly, lost in thought. Upon hearing someone approaching fast from behind, however, she stopped and turned around.

"Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed, seemingly eager to tell her whatever was on his mind.  
"...Lee?" she replied, wondering.

"Do you have some time to spare? It will not take long, I promise!" he said, waving a clenched fist.  
"O-Okay." she said, getting curious. Lee looked strained and uncomfortable, but after narrowing his eyes for some moments, he cleared his voice and readied himself for what he was about to say.

"I need assistance to find the most youthful style in Konoha!" he said loudly, as if wanting to get it over with.

"What? ...Do you mean, like, new clothes?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded. Would Lee really abandon the style of his precious teacher?  
"Only for today, or tonight! Yes, formal clothes for this evening! Wearing my current suit while training is perfect, but I need something else if I am going to a restaurant or a cinema." he explained, looking a little down. Sakura smiled at him.

"I'll help you, then!" she said in a cheerful voice, earning wide, happy eyes.

Some long hours passed, longer than anticipated, in which Lee got a total makeover. He didn't seem to like it too much and mentioned several times that he looked forward to take it off and get back to his training. When Sakura asked why he wanted 'a new style for a night out', and who he was going with, he avoided answering, or simply pretended not to hear her. But she couldn't deny that he looked good.

He wore black leather shoes and a black suit. The formal jacket was open, revealing an untucked shirt, unbuttoned on top. Lee had refused to cut his hair, but easily obliged when Sakura told the hair-styler to style his hair without using scissors. The hairdresser confused him, though, because she made his hair look rather messy. After that, a stylist took over completely(which made Sakura feel really guilty)and fixed his eyebrows. After she was finished, his eyebrows were much thinner and he didn't have any lower eyelashes that were too visible. He _would_ let them grow out as soon as possible, and most likely avoid Gai until they were back, that was for sure. Then the stylist adviced him to peer his eyes slightly and wear a contant smirk.

By that time Lee looked pained, but did as the stylist said just to get out of there. Sakura insisted to pay the bill.

"Hey, Lee, you look really good, honestly!" she said, trying to cheer him up.  
"You only say that so I won't be sad, Sakura-san..." he half mumbled.

"No. Look, some girls are coming this way! Try doing what that stylist said again." she encouraged, and watched as he slowly narrowed his eyes and flashed a small smile at the girls as they passed. It worked. They smiled back and giggled as they passed, holding onto each others arms and already talking about him. Lee was left rather dumbfounded behind, and let one bandage-covered hand run through his messy, yet stylish hair. Then he looked down at his suit and shirt.

"You... You are right!" he said, eyes suddenly sparking with fire when he turned to her.  
"How can I thank you?" he asked, and Sakura looked at him curiously.

"You're going out, right? With who?" she asked, excitement hidden in her voice. Lee didn't move. After some long seconds passed in silence, a faint blush appeared on his face.

"Ah... I asked Tenten." he said in a low voice, embarrassed.

When she heard, her eyes widened. Wasn't Tenten with... Neji? Perhaps Neji didn't know about the date at all. Or was Tenten going out with Lee because she'd feel guilty if she didn't? This was just confusing her. If Neji really liked Tenten, and Lee didn't know yet, that could be bad. Or if Tenten didn't know that Neji was interested in the first place. Then again, perhaps Neji only considered Tenten his friend. She had to ask before her mind continued its rampage.

"Oh, but... What about Neji?" she asked, her voice unsteady as a blush tainted her cheeks. Lee smiled at her.

"Neji? Tenten and Neji are like siblings, sister and brother. Me and Neji are like brothers too, but we are rivals as well! And me and Tenten are different. I hope..." he said dreamily, looking at the sky.

Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, a comfortable chill, strangely enough. Neji and Tenten weren't a couple? All of a sudden she wanted to go to visit Neji. Wait. That was what she'd been planning before Lee asked for help. How could she have forgotten? Where was Neji now? Waiting at her house? Or at the training grounds? Perhaps he had forgotten all about their deal and stayed home. Or he pretended to forget because he didn't want to see her. Then again, perhaps the Elders had gotten the best of him. What if he searched for her and didn't find her? Would he think she was avoiding him?

Why the heck was she so afraid of him thinking that?

Unless...

"Lee, good luck! Have a nice time, you two, and don't forget to smile!" Sakura said cheerfully, but with a hint of nervousness. Lee immediately flashed that small, lopsided smile and narrowed his eyes while holding one hand in his pocket. With the other, he gave his usual thumbs up. Then he suddenly turned and ran away so fast that Sakura was left in a cloud of dust.

At the moment, she couldn't have cared less. Her chest ached.

...What was Neji to her?

Narrowing her eyes only a little, she searched her mind. He was a friend. He was also tall, with dark, long hair and silver eyes, but did that matter? Around his friends and other ninjas, she had seen him act stoic and arrogant, but he never meant anything bad with it... like Sasuke had done sometimes. Neji was an excellent ninja, really smart, and he seemed to respect her. On top of that, he looked awesome. Wait. What?

Sakura frowned deeply. This was getting dangerous. She was starting to grow attached to him. Little by little, she had unconsciously let him come closer.

No... She hadn't let him come closer, he had _already_ been close to her, ever since that one meeting so many years ago. Only now, she was starting to look at him like something more than a friend. Or was she? Perhaps he was just a really good friend, like Naruto? But she knew Naruto a lot better than Neji. Then again, if she wanted to, she could get to know Neji better as well. The relationship she had with him was different from the bond she had with Naruto, but also different than the one she'd had with Sasuke.

Somehow, it made her feel heavy inside.

* * *

Neji was absolutely furious, to say the least.

His house was surrounded. Apparently, a few Hyuuga girls had found it unacceptable that he had a woman on his mind that was _not_ a member of the Hyuuga Clan. This usually wouldn't have been a problem because he could have escaped by simply using some ninja techniques. However, some of those admirers were apparently ninjas as well. One time, he'd even caught a glimpse of an ANBU mask when he looked out of the window. He couldn't use his phone without them hearing what he said, which meant he couldn't call Sakura to explain. He couldn't even go into his own basement to train, because if someone else found out he had his own 'training hall', they'd insist to come train with him every other day.

It wasn't until late afternoon that he grit his teeth in shame. He was trapped in his own house by _girls_. Not that he had anything against girls in general, but persistent stalkers like the Hyuuga admirers, who never gave up, were a problem. Especially the ones who were ninjas.

This was a challenge. A challenge he would accept and conquer. Hopefully, Sakura would understand once he explained.

Neji used a Transforming jutsu to change his appearance. His robes changed into black clothes with a hood to hide his long hair. Even his face was hidden, with the exception of his eyes. Once he was done, he concealed his chakra and used Kawarimi no jutsu to switch places with one of the statues outside his house and garden. He'd have to put the statue back where it belonged later.

Dressed in black, he hid in the shadows and kept his chakra concealed while moving quietly, yet swiftly. Behind him, around his house, activity ensued as none of the people there could feel his chakra. He knew they wouldn't dare to just break into his house to check, though, so he allowed himself to smirk. But that was apparently too soon. Someone were already following him. That piqued his interest. His ambitious self made him aware of the adrenaline rushing through his veins as he increased his speed, determined to lose the ones who chased him.

Was this the level of the ANBU members? Were these the ones he had to surpass if he wanted to gain success and respect? His smirk grew as he narrowed his eyes. He once again moved even faster, but stopped hiding his chakra. Thanks to his speed, he lost some of them. Only one remained. Neji couldn't deny that he liked being challenged like this. If he managed to shake off that last person, an ANBU, that would mean he was ready for the ANBU exam. Originally, he hadn't wanted to wear himself out by giving it all in ANBU, but at his current level, perhaps that wouldn't happen?

His enthusiasm peaked as he hid his chakra completely and once again forced himself to move as fast as he could. Not once letting the last rays of the sun reveal his location, he ran in the shadows of houses and the darkness of the narrow alleys. Relishing in the feeling of his sharpened senses, Neji took a deep breath to remember the scent of the cold air. He wasn't tired; on the contrary. This was _one_ of the things he lived for.

The other was a certain person, ever since the first time they met.

The last ANBU woman who followed him finally lost him. This only boosted Neji's good mood, and he used the Transform jutsu to change the black clothes back into his usual robes. Then he headed for Sakura's place. Only then did he start feeling worse. Was she angry that he'd kept her waiting, or wasn't she? She'd visited her parents yesterday, when he visited the Elders. Perhaps she wanted to be alone. For all he knew, she could have tried visiting him without knowing about the girls surrounding his house. There weren't many, of course, but some were ANBU members, and it would be one against several others. That could be a problem for her. Besides, he doubted Sakura would use her superhuman strength inside the Hyuuga compund.

Suddenly he stopped dead. There, in front of him, was Sakura's apartment. The upper floor of the tall, round building seemed strangely quiet. One of Sakura's slightly larger windows were open, and she was sitting in its frame, holding her black sofa by one of its legs. It would all have been quite amusing if it weren't for her expression. She was frowning a little, and her eyes were darker and more determined than he'd ever seen them before. She reminded him of some maniac with a saw. But the sofa, in her case, would be more dangerous than any saw in the hands of a wrong person.

Luckily, she wasn't watching _him._

"...Sakura?" he said, and his voice cut through the silent, cold air. She looked up to him slowly, as if she knew someone was there already. The dark look on her face disappeared as she saw who he was, and she blinked in slight surprise.

"Neji? Were have you been?" she asked questioningly, with no traces of anger left.  
"I was kept from getting here... By some... women." he said with a stoic face, but his voice was strained. A sceptic look grazed her features for a second, then she raised an eyebrow.

"Women? ...Why?" she asked suspiciously.  
"...The Elders allowed me to be with someone _not_ from the Hyuuga Clan, and in return, I will join ANBU and do my best. Those women wanted to know who I would do such a thing for, so they've been guarding my house all day." he explained, frowning, but also smirking. After all, he'd fooled them easily.

"Eh?! That's great! I mean, that you get to choose anyone you want, that is. Are you going to join ANBU, then?" she asked and flashed him a wide smile. Was there a trace of nervousness in it?

"I think so, but... how were your parents?" he asked, absently changing the subject.  
"They... They were really happy to see me. I'm heading back to visit them in a couple of days." she replied, and Neji had a vague feeling that she wasn't telling him everything.

"And... that sofa..?" he inquired, looking at the sofa she held onto. At that, she blushed fiercely.

"Ah, that's... I couldn't stand watching it. So I decided to get rid of it." she said, then jumped down from the window while moving the large, black leather couch to her shoulder. She landed graciously on one knee, not caring the least when one end of her sofa smashed into the ground.

He couldn't blame her. Sasuke had obviously made her strongly dislike that piece of furniture by doing what he did, and she wanted to get rid of it. Actually, Neji did too. But even if they destroyed it completely, he could still not erase the picture of the Uchiha on top of her, threatening her without speaking, warning her about what could happen if she didn't oblige to his request. The memory of Sakura, helpless after a long journey and a battle in which she had nearly died, was etched into the depths of his mind. He wanted to able to forget, and he wanted her to forget too.

"Are you coming, Neji?" he heard from below.

Only a few minutes later, they were at some of the older training grounds. Sakura wore a quite confident smirk while adjusting her gloves, eyeing the sofa carefully. Neji on the other hand, felt much worse. On a bench not far away, a seemingly normal old couple sat and 'enjoyed the scenery'. Sakura didn't pay any attention to them, but Neji had recognized them the minute they got there. Those two ancient, steel-eyed persons with wrinkles that could only be described as canyons...

They were two of the Hyuuga Elders. How had they found him and Sakura? Were they here by coincidence?

"Sakura..." he started, and she turned to him. What could he say? That she should save the 'obliteration of the sofa' for some other day? She wouldn't like that.  
"Make sure to give that thing a beating it won't forget any time soon." he suggested, well aware that couches didn't have brains at all.

"I will. Want to help?" she asked.

"No thank you, you deserve the honor of obliterating it." he said knowingly, and she smiled back at him.

She had chosen this area well aware of the fact that it was supposed to be 'cleaned' fairly soon. New houses were going to be built, and to do that, old trees, dead plants, boulders and similar things had to be taken care of. The couch was all Sakura needed to take care of that. She grabbed one of its legs and once again moved it to her shoulder, then raced in the direction of some of the lowest trees. Her speed increased rapidly as she forced chakra into her legs. Neji glanced at the two Elders a distance away, and saw that they were concentrating solely on Sakura. Neji remembered their words.

_"Do we understand each other?" Neji asked, trying not to show how tired he was. The ancient Elders, with beard stuck in their wrinkles and a metallic shine in their eyes, scrutinized him, searching for any sign of hesitation.  
"I believe so. Let me see... We let you be with a __worthy woman who is not from the Hyuuga Clan, and in return, you join ANBU." the most wrinkly man said._

Turning back to Sakura, he saw her slam the leather couch into the dry, nearly dead trees. Instantly destroying them, she continued grazing the other trees in her vicinity, not once stopping. She didn't utter a word in the process. The small trees were soon taken care of, but the sofa was still whole. Its quality was high, he'd give it _that_. She kept slamming it into trees that only grew in size as she continued. Some broke, like the smallest trees, while others fell while creaking one final time. The tallest trees creaked loudly, several at a time, and fell so slowly that it seemed to take an eternity for them to land.

The couch was still whole, with the exception of two missing legs. Slamming it onto a rock without using chakra, she let go of it and stepped back. She was breathing heavily and her frown was deep, but she hadn't reached her limit yet. Suddenly she turned on the spot and loaded her arms with chakra, then took hold of the roots of an exceptionally large tree. The fallen tree was then raised steadily into the air, very slowly, as it was undoubtedly heavy. Sakura let the roots fall to the ground and wrapped her arms around the trunk of the tree. She didn't even reach halfway around it, but held onto it thanks to her chakra.

Then, with a war-cry of pure determination, she once again raised it into the air and slammed it down onto the couch.  
Needless to say, the tree only got a few scratches. The sofa was left quite flat, and the boulder it had been standing on had broke into two large pieces, if not more.

Neji looked back at the two Elders sitting on the bench, not holding back his smirk. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were open.  
As a result, Neji learned something he had never known before: The Elders wore dentures. At the moment, they were slightly loose.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
There, Sakura has definitely proved herself to the Elders now. I'll give you more romance from now on, I promise.  
(And sorry to those of you who don't like LeeXTenten. We won't see too much of them together in the future chapters, though, if that helps..?)


	17. Ordeals

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Sorry about spelling errors – They're either caused by FFnet... or by my lack of sleep. 30 hours of awake-ness. Hur-hur-hur... The icy winds of the snowy mountain plains kept me prisoner, and the path was lit by naught but the moon in the crispy, clear skies! And naow imma delusional. Be warned!

This chapter is a little boring, but necessary... So please don't skip paragraphs..?

* * *

Ordeals

* * *

Some days had passed, during which Neji had been recommended by the Hyuuga Elders to take the ANBU exams. The Hokage had easily complied, already familiar with the rumors about the young Hyuuga genius. Thus, an exam was readied for him in only days. It was quite different from the Chuunin Exam. Back then people took the exam in groups, except for in the very end. Neji still remembered losing to Naruto. Who was the strongest now? In ANBU, ninjas took the exam alone whenever one was recommended. The ninja would be left with several examiners and he or she had to pass all the tests that were given.

Neji had three options: Assassination, Espionage or Protection.

Assassination was not an option, because it would be fairly time consuming, and it would also deprive him of his emotions. He knew that in order to be a useful ninja, he needed to be able to act without being controlled by his emotions, yes, but he was perfectly capable of that already. He didn't need, nor want, to _murder_ anyone to get rid of his feelings. As for Protection, that seemed too dull. Standing next to some important, old geezer all day was not something that appealed to him. His skills could worsen if he would have to stand still instead of training.

Therefore he had chosen Espionage. It would let him move freely and train if he wished, and his experience would keep growing as he worked. He could find out which method of spying was the best, and his stealth would improve greatly. Whether he was sent on a solo mission or a team mission, he would do well thanks to his Byakugan. He would be able to tell where enemy ninjas were hiding, how many they were, how much chakra and chakra control they had, and if they carried items of interest.

"Are you ready, Hyuuga? This is your seventh and final test." a sturdy looking man said, his broad smirk ruining his experienced look. He wore black clothes and gloves, and reminded Neji of Morino Ibiki, the torture expert. The only differences were that this man had more scars on his face(and probably everywhere else on his body as well), and he was taller with larger muscles.

Neji had finished six tests already; a paper test, an oral rehearsal, a jutsu trial, a genjutsu(illusion) trial, a taijutsu(hand-to-hand) trial, and finally, a weapon trial. Now it was time for him to combine all the categories and fight with everything he had against the man before him. He had passed all the tests until now, which was highly unusual even for the more skilled ninjas.

"I am ready." Neji claimed, making the smirk of the man develop into a lopsided grin.

"Okay. You've chosen 'Espionage', right? Then, in this test, you'll have to steal this scroll from me within an hour. After you've got it from me, you'll either have to keep it for an hour straight, _or_ you'll have to knock me out." he explained, speaking the last words in a way that made Neji feel as though he had just been mocked. He gave Neji a glimpse of the scroll before hiding it in his pouch.

"I said I am ready. I already know the rules." Neji repeated, aiming to rile him up. The less focus the man had, the easier it would be for Neji.

"...Tsch." the man said, seemingly unaffected. Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke, and they started.

Knowing the man would probably go easy on him in the beginning, Neji let him think he was an amateur. He let his chakra flow without hiding it and walked around with determined, loud steps to make the examiner underestimate him. On his lips, however, a smirk played nonchalantly.

They were alone in the middle of a forest to make it all seem more real, like they had done in the beginning of the Chuunin Exam. In fact, the forest looked almost completely like the one back then. Only here, the tall trees and enormous bugs were accompanied by equally difficult challenges and surprises.

He activated his Byakugan and got an immediate overview of the large area. His eyes had been thoroughly trained in the last few years, and for a second he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of living creatures he sensed. Animals, birds, insects, snakes, and even plants seemed to shine when his gaze passed by them. Despite that, everything seemed normal and calm. Except for one thing.

A moving person. The examiner.

First Neji waited until the man stopped. Then he let his chakra pulse violently, as if he was responding to an attack. With some luck, the examiner would think Neji was being attacked by one of the animals out there. Wanting it to seem plausible, Neji let his chakra continue to pulse for a few minutes and let it weaken gradually. Then he cut it off completely and hid it. That would make it seem as if he was wounded, or even dead.

Satisfied, Neji jumped onto a branch and hurried in the direction of his target while still concealing his chakra completely. He moved swiftly, without a sound, as stealth was vital for him to pass the test. In only minutes he found the examiner, whose eyes were narrowed in concentration. He was currently straining himself to hear or feel any sign of Neji nearby. Neji wouldn't be surprised if his little 'fight' hadn't fooled him at all. After all, that man was experienced. Long range fighting had to be avoided at any cost, but how could Neji get close enough to get his hands on that scroll?

After only seconds of thinking, he used Kawarimi no Jutsu to switch places with the rotten, yet remarkably well-placed log at the examiner's right.

"Hey-" the man exclaimed, but effectively dodged Neji's fatal punch by stepping away. If he had been hit, his right arm would have been useless. Neji's fingers were loaded with his chakra, ready to strike and block the chakra of his opponent. Without stopping, Neji faked a punch and aimed a kick at his legs. Unsurprisingly, his punch was avoided and his kick was blocked.

"Heh. I know you're a Hyuuga. All I have to do is avoid your hands." the man said nonchalantly, almost bored, his raspy and dry voice once again reminding Neji of Morino Ibiki. But this man had made a mistake. Neji had not trained for nothing. To rid himself of his weaknesses, he had practiced his chakra blocking skills with his feet as well, unlike other Hyuugas.

"Is that so?" Neji taunted. If Tenten were nearby, she would probably accuse him of sounding arrogant. He didn't care. The man was about to comment it as well, but stopped as he realized something. The arm he had used to block Neji's kick with wasn't moving. He glanced at it with slight distaste. Then he turned serious. No signs of underestimating were left in his eyes. Instead, a broad, feral smirk played at his lips.

He lunged at Neji while letting two kunais slide out of his sleeve and into his right hand. The kunais sparkled in the faint light that made its way through the thick layers of leaves above. Without hesitation, he charged at Neji. Right before impact, however, the examiner disappeared and Neji jerked around and jumped to his left to avoid being sliced by the weapons. To his great dislike, the kunais had been temporarily transformed into large, sharp knives, both the length of an arm. The two ninjas once again stopped to watch each other from a distance.

"Do you want to know what I learned the first time I participated in the Chuunin Exams?" Neji asked, his face expressionless as he tilted his head back slightly. Then he vanished from sight. It was actually a simple, yet effective illusion.

Then two arms broke through the surface of the ground and locked around the examiner's ankles. After a split second he was pulled and fell backwards, and not to lose balance completely, he planted his swords in the ground for support. Using the moment of surprise, Neji grabbed his pouch and used Kawarimi no Jutsu to switch places and get out of the ground. Quickly confirming that the scroll was still in the pouch, Neji turned back to watch the examiner. Immediately, he concluded that something was off.

This was too easy. Something was wrong.

The second he put the newly acquired scroll into the bag on his back, he was overcome by a heavy sensation that made his vision swim. He lost all sense of balance and backed away until his back hit a massive tree. Desperately holding onto it, Neji grit his teeth. This was genjutsu; only an illusion. But it was not weak. Everything moved incredibly slowly, and he caught sight of black spots coming towards him. Countless black spots, all growing in size as they came closer. What were they?

...Weapons. The chill running down his spine told him that those weapons were _not_ a part of the illusion.

"Kai!" he nearly shouted while forcing his hands to make hand seals, making the genjutsu disappear. Then, without stopping, and without making hand seals, he started spinning on the spot while moving his arms at an unbelievable pace. If he could have seen the face of his examiner just then, his pride would have been royally boosted by the flicker of awe in the eyes of the man. Neji deflected all of the weapons with ease. Even so, he felt some pain in his hands from where he had hit the sharp ends of the kunais and knives.

Struck by impulse, Neji quickly opened his bag and withdrew the scroll, then threw it at the examiner with all the strength he could muster. The man, taken completely off guard by the unexpected move, just stared. The scroll hit his head, and due to its abnormally high speed and exceptional aim, knocked him to the ground. Neji jumped forward and grabbed the scroll before it landed. Then he stared at it suspiciously.

Why had he done that? How stupid! ...Perhaps because of reflex. Or even instinct. Yet again he imagined Tenten comment on his overly exaggerated confidence. Lee would probably say something including the words 'rival', 'worthy' and 'must train more to defeat', while Gai would just congratulate him. Or would he? What about Sakura, what would she say about his confidence? ...Perhaps he could just ask.

Then he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

"I'm not underestimating you, Hyuuga. But you should not underestimate me either."

* * *

"Bye, then." Sakura said, giving a small wave of her hand before she left her parents' home.

She silently thanked herself for finally leaving. Her visit had lasted for hours. The reason was the neighbors of her parents. That nosy, old woman and her husband had decided to 'coincidentally' visit at the same time as her. Thus she had been stuck answering countless questions asked by the old woman, while her old husband and Sakura's parents were left alone as if they weren't even in the room. The woman asked where she'd been, why she hadn't visited in such a long time, and why she'd become a ninja instead of walking in her mother's footsteps. After that, she asked countless questions that weren't really of any significance at all. Sakura suspected that in the next few days, she would be the gossip subject, or victim, of half of Konoha.

Sighing loudly, she shook her head. For the occasion she wore a white, simple dress her mother had given her only days before. It was clean and simple and the skirt was wide, reaching down to her knees. It wasn't tight, but loose, which gave her a comfortable feeling. But it made her a little too visible, in her own opinion. People were turning when she passed them. A bright white dress combined with pink hair wasn't a usual sight, to say the least.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, she tried thinking of something else. Neji had taken some of the tests for ANBU, hadn't he? Or was he finished? Had he passed? Knowing him, that was likely. Perhaps she should visit him and ask. But one or two of his more persistent fan-girls could be there, waiting for her to come. She could call him, that would be simple enough.

The moment she got home, she walked into her living room and grabbed her phone. The room looked empty without that sofa she had beaten into pieces almost a week ago, but that was how she liked it. For now, at least.

"Neji?" she asked after hearing someone pick up the phone.  
"Sakura..." she heard, and then there was silence.

"...Um, I just wondered... if you passed the ANBU exam?" she asked and heard him give a single chuckle.  
"I did fine on the first six tests. Then I knocked out the examiner on the seventh trial. But... he woke up again and gave me a hard time." he answered silently, as if thinking.

"What? Are you okay?" she demanded a little too eagerly, frowning.  
"...Yes. Tsunade-sama healed my wounds in person and congratulated me at the same time. Only very few jounins manage to pass all the tests and trials. Apparently, even though I only passed six of seven trials, I did quite well." he said.

"...Six of seven! Impossible! Most people only manage three or four!" Sakura reasoned.  
"I am officially a member of ANBU, within Espionage." Neji said, ignoring the indirect praise she had given him. In a way, she was happy he did.

"That... that's the same branch as me." she said, suddenly quiet.  
"...What? I was not aware of that. Perhaps... Maybe I should have been able to guess..." he said, leaving his unspoken question for her to answer or ignore.

"But... You managed six of seven tests. That's good. I failed the Weapon trial and the Jutsu trial... I didn't know enough jutsus." she said with a trace of embarrassment.  
"Which means you managed five of seven. That is above average by far. I had some problems with the Genjutsu trial, but Tenten has been helping me train with weapons." he mentioned.

Once again stifling silence ensued. This time it lasted for more than just a few seconds.

"...Sakura?" Neji asked, sounding as if he thought she wasn't there.  
"Ah, sorry, I was just wondering if the Hyuuga Elders are pleased now? I mean, you're free to be with whoever you like now, right? ...You went far enough to get into ANBU for someone. Who is the lucky person?" she asked, keeping her voice completely natural and unstrained. Her face, on the other hand, was pained.

"...I do not want to tell you here, not now. I am not sure if any... _fan girls_... are still eavesdropping from time to time." he said, making Sakura feel as if someone had just punched her in the gut. She was already in it deep. But how deep? How much did she care for him? Inside, she felt heavier than ever.

She wasn't really sure why her heart felt as though it was being torn slowly.  
Or maybe... maybe she just didn't want to examine the reason.

"But I will tell you if you come to the training grounds. You were the one who encouraged me to go against the Elders in the first place." he said in a hushed voice, as if not to be heard by his possible eavesdroppers.

"Oh... Okay." she said, and regretted as soon as they hung up.

When were they going to meet? He didn't say anything about that. And she had already trained today, and training too much would strain her muscles. Besides, she would be disappointed in the end anyway. To her, he was more than a friend. Without knowing it, Neji would shatter her by simply speaking the name of the one he truly desired. How pathetic of her. She should have foreseen this, stopped it when she was still able to. If she couldn't stop her feelings, she would make Neji do it for her by destroying them. He wouldn't know a thing, but he'd be doing her a favor in the long run.

Sakura stomped all the way towards the training grounds.

Her face didn't betray a single emotion, remaining blank and dull. The only thing giving her away was an occasional small crater caused by her feet when she had an inner argument with herself. She needed to get this over with, it was as simple as that. Her white, loose dress billowed around her, not matching the small craters in the ground at all. She gradually regained control though, and kept herself from wreaking havoc any more than necessary. Hopefully the villagers would think the holes were only dry puddles.

"This is stupid." she muttered while gritting her teeth.

Neji would tell her who he 'had in mind', and she would wish him luck no matter who it was. It was that simple. If she felt hurt and betrayed, she would start training more and pay less attention to Neji so she would gradually get over him. And that wasn't really a bad thing, because she was already spending far too much time thinking of him.

But what if _she_ was the one he had in mind?

The thought made her stop dead. Her rage vanished completely and was replaced by a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, which she recognized as restrained and suppressed hope. She couldn't afford to get her hopes up just to have everything slammed back at her only minutes later. She cared for him. But did she truly love him? Would her affections towards him fade gradually, until she only viewed him as a friend? The latter had better be the case. The reason was simple: She didn't want to be hurt again, and if Neji hurt her, she didn't want to show him the pain he had caused.

_Don't get your hopes up. Don't get you hopes up... _  
If she repeated those words, would they work?  
_Stop thinking so much.  
_

She was almost there. The training grounds were nearby, and she only had to walk across the old, red bridge to get there. The bridge let an overwhelming amount of memories swim around her, threatening to force her to retreat. Somehow she felt that the pressure was building rapidly. With the sun already setting, she was left quite visible from the dark shadows. It felt as though someone was there, watching her, and the wind seemed to warn her by increasing in strength by the second.

How dramatic. Everything missing now was an enemy.

"Sakura." she heard, and froze completely.

* * *

dahr-dahr-_daahrr!_ Cliph-henger fohr yoo. Is it Neji, Sasuke, a stalker, or a very scary fangirl?  
To repent for my horrible actions(the cliffy) I promise to update faster than usual. That aside, where did my sleep go?


	18. Stalkers

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did... Itachi would... He would...  
Okay, stop.

I had problems with this chapter, because some of the readers/reviewers hate Sasuke, while others really like him. Hmmm...  
So I have a surprise for you.

* * *

Stalkers 

* * *

"Sakura." she heard, and froze completely.

"...Hey, Sakura." she heard again, only this time it seemed louder. Now the voice was too familiar for her to miss, and annoyance grew inside her.

"What the heck are you doing, coming out of nowhere, Naruto?! You frightened me!" she exclaimed, turning to see her old teammate only steps away. His face instantly turned apologetic, and he held his arms up in front of him as if to shield himself. Sakura forced herself to calm down, but couldn't quite manage to stop her fists from shaking.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan! But you- you can't just go around alone like that in the middle of the night!" he said. She narrowed her eyes at him.  
"It's not in the middle of the night, the sun just set! Besides, don't you think I can take care of myself?" she countered, forcing herself not to be too loud.

"Of course! I just saw you, and I thought... I wondered... Ah, wait a minute, where are you going?" he asked, interrupting himself and changing the subject at the same time.  
"To the training grounds." she replied simply, calming down.

"In those clothes?" Naruto asked quietly, squinting at her through narrowed eyes.  
"I'm not going to train, because I've already trained today. Someone's waiting for me there." she said, starting to turn away.

"Who are you meeting in those clothes, Sakura-chan?" he asked suspiciously, and she grit her teeth. She had felt uncomfortable and edgy even before Naruto came along. All his questions did not make her feel better.

"...I got this dress from my mother, and I simply didn't change before I left my apartment. I wear this by chance. The one I'm meeting is going to... give me information about someone." she said as calmly as possible, aware that her answer was vague. She guessed he would assume she was on a mission.

"Oh, so that's a disguise so no one finds out you're a ninja! Very smart! You don't look like a ninja at all now, in fact, you look weak!" he said, and when she shot him a glare over her shoulder, he just grinned at her and gave her the thumbs-up. At the sight of him, she sighed as her anger disappeared.

"Thanks. Bye, Naruto." she said, giving him a small smile before leaving. After hearing him laugh sheepishly and walk away behind her, she went in the opposite direction and crossed the red bridge.

Somehow, her nerves were not as bad after her encounter with Naruto. She figured she would just have to accept what Neji had to say. No matter what, she'd stay calm and flash a genuine smile when he told her who he had in mind. If that woman made him happy, she would not complain. For now she just hoped he was there so she could get it all over with. Then she'd go back home and pretend everything was just like normal.

As there were many training grounds, and because each of them were quite large, Sakura settled for the genin training grounds. That was most likely where Neji meant, as that was where both of them had spent most of their time ever since they were students at the Academy. Sakura went to the three logs that she, Sasuke and Naruto had eaten at years ago. Back then Naruto had been tied to one of the logs, begging them for food. She didn't get much time to think about that particular memory, though, because Neji was already there waiting for her.

"Sakura..." he said, seemingly unsure of what to say next, or how to start. He didn't look nervous, but frowned and shut his eyes for a brief moment. She flashed him a reassuring smile, making sure none of her uneasiness showed.

"Neji," she started and eyed his bandaged arm. "What happened? Who did that?" she demanded, her mood instantly changing.  
"...The examiner did that. But I am fine." he replied solemnly, and she relaxed.

"So... Who is you 'chosen one'?" she asked curiously, trying to make it easier for them both. He arched an eyebrow.  
"Who do you think it is?" he asked with a small hint of amusement. She frowned at him, but not angrily. Then she turned thoughtful.

"...At first, I thought it was Tenten, but now I don't think so." she started.  
"I can understand why." he said absently.

"Is it someone I know?" she asked.  
"Yes." he answered, a smirk playing at his lips.

"...Okay, not Tenten... I don't think it's Hinata either. Wait... Ino?!" she exclaimed, eyes shining in disbelief.  
"No! _Not_ Ino." he said, his eyebrow twitching.

"Um... Shizune?"  
"No."  
"Anko?"  
"_No._"  
"Tsunade."  
"Absolutely not."  
"...Wait... Could it be..." she started, looking into his silver orbs with narrowed eyes. His eyes widened slightly, but he feigned disinterest.

"Naruto? Or Kiba or Shino?" she asked quickly, not really believing that was the case.  
"What?! Never! _Ever,_ might I add." he said, and Sakura couldn't recall having seen him that disturbed ever before.

"Let me try again, Sakura. Who I have in mind is a _woman_ in ANBU, and she is not older than me. You know her." he summarized in a silent voice. Sakura had to strain her ears to hear everything he said. His words made something cold run through her, and she stared at him in confusion for some seconds. 

She only knew one woman in ANBU who was younger than Neji. Herself.

Was this when she should run for her life so he wouldn't see her blush?  
Or was it the moment in which she should punch him half to death for not telling her earlier?  
Definitely not the latter one. He was already tired and drained from the exam earlier the same day.

Not knowing what else to do, she looked at him with uncertain eyes while slowly moving a hand to point at herself. When he smirked, she frowned and felt her cheeks go red. Was he joking?

"Correct." he said, looking at her with a very slight frown.

Overwhelmed, but not truly shocked, her eyes flickered. What was she supposed to say? Inside she felt absolutely great. But Neji was a respectable man from a respectable clan, with respectable manners and respectable behavior. So how was she supposed to react? 

_Why, thank you, Neji, I find you quite awesome as well._ No.  
_Hah, I knew it! _No, no, no...  
_Well, I... um... I don't know if, I mean, perhaps, maybeee-_ Likely in her current situation, but no.  
_I love you too!_ No! Not that!

"...Me?" she asked quietly, her voice only slightly unsteady. She watched him through doubting eyes, afraid to get hurt. Neji could see it.

At that he frowned and shut his eyes for a brief moment. Then he opened them again, and his silver eyes seemed to flash white for a second, making him look determined. With that faint frown still on his face, he moved closer to her with steps so effortless it looked as though he was gliding. Sakura looked at him with wide, jade eyes and remained completely still as he placed one hand on her upper arm, and let the other tilt her head up just enough for him to be able to kiss her. Watching her carefully, as if to see if it was fine with her, he searched her eyes for some long seconds.

Upon finding no longer finding any traces of doubt, he closed the distance between them with the chastest of kisses, while slowly letting his arms move around her. Even though the gentle kiss was broken not long after, it felt to her as if it had lasted for a small, elusive eternity. He was still embracing her. 

_Whoa._ What now? 

* * *

After breaking the kiss, Neji watched Sakura with half-open eyes while breathing in her sweet scent.

He wanted to pull her closer. He did, and she easily complied by letting her head rest on his shoulder. Feeling her heart pound was easy, and Neji was quite sure she could hear his as well. If she were an enemy, she could easily have pierced his heart. He flashed a sly smirk. Even so, increasing his guard was out of the question; it was practically impossible in his current situation. Thus, he kept marvelling in their proximity and the feeling of having her so close. Somewhere inside, he was boasting with pride at reaching his goal. Even deeper, however, he felt more content than he ever recalled being before.

Her sigh made him close his eyes completely and he relaxed. At some point, without him noticing, Sakura had let her arms move to his back, and her hands were holding onto his shoulders gently. If he opened his eyes and looked down, the view of her neck was practically impossible to avoid. Thus the images of Sasuke would inevitably return. Neji didn't want that.

Only seconds passed before Neji made up his mind, and he lowered to her shoulder and let his head rest there. Sakura straightened her back, but almost immediately relaxed again. Neji had deliberately avoided trailing her neck the same way as Sasuke had done, afraid to scare her away. He was not the same as Sasuke, and he never would be. That, however, didn't mean he couldn't play. Smirking, he exhaled through his nose, making sure his breath ran past her neck and continued down her back. She stiffened and took a deep breath, then clumsily shoved him away with a force so weak that he knew she hadn't truly intended to push him at all.

"You!" she said, her cheeks almost scarlet red as she crossed her arms. No matter how hard she tried to frown, her smirk grew by the second. He imitated her by crossing his arms, smirking confidently at Sakura. Standing firmly on the ground, he watched her. She was intoxicating, to say the least. Everything about her. Even her flaws.

Did she feel the same way?

"Saku-" he said, but stopped abruptly as the warm, calm wind came to a complete stop. It was replaced by freezing air, and as the wind ceased to blow, everything was left much too eerie to ignore. Something was wrong. Something was approaching. Neji let his senses absorb the surroundings as fast as possible, searching for whatever caused the rapid change of atmosphere. It was so indescribably cold. Chills ran through his bones and he had to will himself not to shiver. The temperature kept sinking.

This was, without a doubt, murderous intent. Someone nearby was ready to kill. He turned to Sakura, whose eyes were wide as she scrutinized the trees that surrounded them. She was shaking. Whether it was of the sudden coldness or the fear, he couldn't tell. Either way she looked highly unwilling to close her eyes for only a second, even. She swallowed without a sound, her peridot eyes glancing back and forth, scanning everything within her range. 

Neji shut his eyes and activated Byakugan. The second he did, he opened his them and stepped back in shock. Startled, Neji felt his Byakugan deactivate on its own.

There, holding a sword against Sakura's throat while standing behind her, was Uchiha Sasuke.

"...Hyuuga Neji, huh?" he said in a disinterested voice. His eyes were so devoid of emotion that they looked dead. They even lacked that one vital emotion he had _always_ shown; hatred. The hatred was gone. To replace it, something vague and lukewarm was left behind; nothingness.

"Uchiha..." Neji started, but avoided speaking his name. That did not seem to bother him. A glance at Sakura told Neji that her hands were still free, but that Sasuke had already loaded his sword with his Chidori. When Neji noticed, Sasuke let more of his chakra into it, resulting in more sparkles. The sound of thousands of chirping birds grew stronger. Sakura grit her teeth and stepped back only a little. 

"I have questions. Sakura will answer them." Sasuke said, his cold voice not betraying any feelings at all. No anger, no fear, no sorrow. No happiness.

"...Why do you gather information _here,_ in the middle of Konoha, when you know other ninjas are nearby?" Neji asked silently, warning Sasuke not to do anything rash. Sasuke remained still.

"Of what reason am I a threat? I defeated Orochimaru for you. And now, I have caused Itachi's death as well." he said, looking as if it were not important at all. Sakura gasped in surprise at his words, making Sasuke pull his sword closer to her. She froze, her eyes fixed on the sword. Neji felt his eyes grow wide. Sasuke had killed Itachi. 

Uchiha Itachi, the murderer of the Uchiha clan, was dead.

"So answer my questions, Sakura. Answer them well." Sasuke said. Neji had a feeling Sasuke didn't pay attention to him at all. Even though they watched each other, he spoke to his old teammate.

"First. Do you know Orochimaru's abilities?" he asked, and Sakura creased her eyebrows in vague confusion.  
"He... He was able to change bodies... every three years. He trained you for that purpose. And... he used snake abilities." she said, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"And?" Sasuke said, impatient, yet still not showing any feelings.  
"...He brought the First Hokage and the Second Hokage back to life with a jutsu... But the Third Hokage beat them before dying. Tsunade-shishou told me... But you already know that, don't you? You were his apprentice." she said in a wary voice, her eyes still watching the sword at her throat.

"That's right. Then I killed him. However, he didn't leave any scrolls behind telling me how to summon dead people back to life." he said, then waited. Neji guessed he was talking about resurrecting his clan, and was unwillingly reminded of his own father.

"I gathered from various sources, Sakura, that Gaara of the Sand died and was brought back to life. Around the same time, ninjas from Konoha were there. How was he brought back to life without the help of Orochimaru's jutsus?" he asked, and for the first time, a trace of interest flashed in his dead eyes.

"...Chiyo-baasama... She did it." Sakura said quietly, as if not wanting to remember. Elder Chiyo. Neji remembered as well.  
"But she died doing it." she added, barely audible.

"...You are also a medic nin." he said.

Silence ensued, in which Sakura presumably considered her options. What would she say next?  
"Judging from rumors, you are bound to surpass the Hokage." he continued, calm as ever."I can't bring people back from the dead! Even if I could, I would only be able to bring back one person!" she said, a little too loud for Sasuke, who let his sword touch her throat. Upon impact, the Chidori-loaded blade immobilized her while at the same time leaving a slim cut on her skin. Small drops of blood gathered around the small wound. Sakura, unable to stand upright, staggered back to avoid the sword. That Chidori didn't only have the ability to cut through almost anything; Neji had heard from Naruto that Yamato had once been immobilized by it as well. But he had been stabbed. The fact that Sakura almost couldn't move at all when she had only barely been touched by the Chidori-loaded blade meant that Sasuke had grown much stronger. 

To avoid stumbling backwards and hitting Sasuke, she fell to her knees with her arms hanging limply at her sides while she struggled to keep sitting. Sasuke hadn't hesitated once she fell; he let his blade follow her and lowered to sit behind her, his charcoal eyes never once leaving Neji.

"What about forbidden jutsus?" he asked, and Sakura's eyes flickered.  
"I don't know..." she answered, her voice slurred. She swayed, and Sasuke moved his sword away from her, but only slightly.

"The Hokage has the scroll with forbidden jutsus. You are the apprentice of the Hokage. Which means... You would make a fine hostage, Sakura." he muttered, his face still not showing any emotions. Neji frowned deeply, staring at the Uchiha.

In less than a second Neji was in a battle stance with his Byakugan activated. He was ready to fight, despite his tiredness from the ANBU exams.

"And you, Neji... will make a fine messenger." Sasuke added, letting Neji see his slight amusement. He did nothing to acknowledge Neji's fighting stance. Instead of fighting he let the sword touch Sakura again, harder this time, and she grit her teeth and fell. Thoroughly enjoying the look on Neji's face, Sasuke let his free arm snake it's way around her waist.

Then they were gone. 

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Uh oh... I'm sorry, I... I don't have any excuses this time...  
Neji was left behind, all alone. Where is Sasuke taking Sakura? Will he get that scroll? What about Naruto? And Tsunade?

Your reviews are like easter-eggs stuffed with marshmallows. I love them all! Zank yoo very mutch.


	19. The Scroll

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...

I can't believe I managed to write this chapter in time...

* * *

The Scroll

* * *

"No. I won't hand over that scroll." Tsunade said, frowning tiredly.

Despite sounding determined she looked down at her desk, clearly not wanting to look into Neji's eyes. Even though the candle didn't give much light, she didn't look up. It was already quite late. Despite the fact that Neji strongly disliked her denial, there was not much he could do to make her change her mind. The Hokage was not the kind of person to place her village second. Konoha was her responsibility. Konoha was more important than Sakura.

Neji had already tried to persuade her into giving Sasuke the scroll with forbidden jutsus. Knowing there was not much else he could do, he remained still and waited for her to speak again.

"...I will have Shizune make a fake duplicate of the scroll. But because Sasuke chose you as his 'messenger'... I am unsure as of what else to do. I could place some ANBU members or jounins nearby." she said, still not watching him. She seemed to prefer scrutinizing some of the papers in front of her.

"That would be unwise, considering Sasuke's skills. He will be able to tell if other ninjas than me are nearby. If he does not, his companions will. As for the location... Sasuke never told me where to meet him." Neji said, watching the Hokage with a faint scowl. He was not angry with her, after all, Sakura was her apprentice. But he wanted to be able to do something.

Was Sasuke corrupt enough to harm Sakura to get what he wanted?

"Neji... You said... that Sasuke has killed Itachi. That Itachi is dead." she said, her fists tightening as she spoke.  
"Yes." he replied and was rewarded with a weary sigh. The Hokage then rose to her feet and looked straight at him with renewed confidence.

"...Very well. I will inform ANBU and the jounins of this matter and tell them to be on guard, but I won't order them to follow you or search for Sasuke on their own. I will let you work on this until noon tomorrow. If Sakura isn't back before then, I will put someone else on the case." Tsunade said, allowing no rejection of her orders.

* * *

Right before midnight, Neji was given the fake duplicate of the forbidden scroll. Then he went to his house to pick up necessary items such as blood replenishment pills, weapons and explosion tags. He found some new clothes as well, as his usual robes were dirty and torn from the ANBU exam. He couldn't let that slow him down. Thus he chose to wear some of his older fighting garments. His outfit was similar to his usual one, only the legs of his pants were longer. Instead of the gray robe-like belt that usually covered his hidden weapons, he wore a dark gray iaido belt.

But he was still tired from his exam trials.

Even though it felt like he had passed the ANBU exam ages ago, his chakra was still lower than usual. His left arm was still bandaged. Neji eyed it with distaste. If he would have to fight, Sasuke would definitely take advantage of his weaknesses. Hesitating only for a moment, Neji removed the thick layer of bandages and put on new ones on both arms. The thin layer wouldn't look suspicious; many ninjas wore bandages to protect their hands and joints.

Once he was satisfied, Neji left his house with the large scroll under his arm.

Konoha was full of activity, and Neji knew without looking that professional ninjas were patrolling to keep the villagers safe. He didn't know how much Tsunade had told them, he wasn't even sure if she'd said Sasuke was close to Konoha at all, but he couldn't take any chances. If he waited any longer, Sasuke could get impatient. That was not good for Sakura. Neji frowned, thinking of the problems he currently needed to solve.

He didn't know know _where_ to meet Sasuke, and he didn't know _when_.

Frowning, Neji stopped. He was at the training grounds. His Byakugan was already on and he scanned the area, scrutinizing every corner within miles. The dark was of no consequence, as he didn't need light to see the energy running through every single living thing. Plants, animals and insects all emitted some kind of chakra, though much weaker than those of humans. Neji ignored the lifeless rocks and faint streams of life coming from the plants and old trees. No one were there. He couldn't find any human chakra, nor any traces of chakra systems in which the chakra was concealed.

Just to be sure, he checked the area for snakes as well, but with no results. Not even a tiny viper appeared in his range of view.

Where else could they be? The red bridge was an option, but people usually passed by that area quite often. Not a good hiding place. Perhaps they were underneath the bridge? No. They could be outside of Konoha or in a neighbouring village, for all he knew.

What about Sakura's house?

* * *

Sakura slowly regained consciousness, absently noticing that the electric Chidori currents were gone. She barely opened her eyes, but instantly shut them again. Even though Sasuke and his Chidori were not close, the effects were still there. Her immobile limbs were not injured. They only felt numb.

Letting her eyes open slowly, she glanced around to get an immediate overview. The white roof looked incredibly dull, yet also nice. The bed under her was warm and comfortable. She couldn't recall having seen this room before. Where was she? Was Sasuke or his companions nearby? ...It didn't matter if his followers were there or not. She would find them and give them all a fight they would never forget. Especially Sasuke. And Karin... and Suigetsu. She would kick their criminal behinds into the next century if she had to.

...As soon as she could move properly, that is.

"You." she heard a female voice say. That voice made something freezing cold run through her veins, forcing her to use all her senses to locate the source of the voice. That cold feeling was not fear; it was anger. As a result, adrenaline forced her chakra to pulse through her body, instantly weakening her temporary immobilization. Sakura noticed and let her chakra surge through her and clean away the effects of the Chidori, then sat up.

"Hey, don't move, you!" she heard, and knew without turning around that is was Karin. Holding back a smirk, Sakura swayed a little and let her head drop. She then moved a shaky hand to her head as if in pain.

"You can't fool me, you brat." Karin muttered, and Sakura moved her feet off the bed and placed them on the floor slowly, making sure she looked weak. Karin was behind her on the other side of the bed.

In a swift move, Sakura got to her legs and kicked the bed in Karin's direction. Taken by surprise, Karin only moved her arms to protect herself. Upon impact, Sakura heard a yelp of pain. She didn't hesitate. Before Karin could recover, she ran out of the room and scanned the narrow hall for an exit. A dead end was to the left and stairs were at her right.

She still chose the left.

Hearing footsteps behind her, both from the stairs and her previously assigned bedroom, she loaded her legs with chakra and dashed towards the dead end. In the process, she also charged her hand with chakra and smashed through the wall once she was close enough. The moment she jumped outside, into the darkness of the night, she prepared to land of the roof on the next-door building. That would be the fastest way to escape. The houses were small and old, though, and some even had plants growing on them.

"Hey!" she heard. This time it was the voice of a man, probably Suigetsu.

She didn't turn to look, only increased her speed. Where was this? Judging from the traditional look of many of the houses, she was most likely in a clan area. The Hyuuga compound? Sakura frowned and looked around in the dark, but couldn't see any people at all. The streets were empty and quiet, as if no one had been there for years. It was eerie and dusty, and she occasionally spotted objects scattered around, as if someone had left the place in a hurry. Not a single lamp lit the windows. Even so, in the middle of it all, a banner caught her eye. On the banner was a single fan, red and white.

This was the old Uchiha compound.

The second she realized where she was, everything seemed to turn much darker than before, until she couldn't see anything at all and was forced to stop. She held her hands in front of her, but couldn't see them. Everything was jet black.

_Genjutsu?_

In case it really was an illusion, Sasuke was most likely behind it. Sakura frowned and made some simple hand seals. The release jutsu didn't work. Hurriedly making her chakra flow through her body aimlessly to make the genjutsu disappear, Sakura shut her eyes and focused. It still didn't go away. In a final attempt to break the illusion, she searched for one of her weapons. Shortly after she grit her teeth and mentally yelled at herself for not having any. They were all at her house, and she didn't have anything else than herself and her chakra.

"Where do you think you are going?" a familiar and cold voice demanded.

* * *

Neji couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't at the training grounds, not at the red bridge that Team Seven had used so diligently, nor at her own house. Having even checked his own house in case they had hidden there, Neji was starting to get restless. There was no time for him to wander back and forth in a big village like Konoha. That was too time consuming. The sun had already risen and seemed to hover right above the mountains. Everything that was touched by its light was given a strong, yet soft color. Neji usually enjoyed the sunlight in the morning. That was not the case at the moment.

Noon was his time limit. If he didn't find Sakura before 12 o'clock, Tsunade would send larger teams instead. That would endanger Sakura, but it would ensure the safety of Konoha.

Even the house that Sasuke had lived in before was empty. He had checked it right after his visit at Sakura's place. The increasing number of ninjas and civilians didn't help his Byakugan much. Everyone seemed to be in a rush to get outside today. The ninjas were outside to 'look after' the citizens, and the citizens were there to sell as much as possible at the market. The fact that more ninjas than usual were roaming the streets made some of the villagers fight for customers. Neji doubted _they_ knew Uchiha Sasuke was nearby.

Deciding to have one last go, he dashed in the direction of the Uchiha compound again, clutching the fake scroll under his arm. It was larger than a usual scroll, and thus also heavier.

Some people, albeit not many, walked through the Uchiha compound every day. They probably used it as a shortcut. Even so, they never touched anything and left everything alone. Those who tried were usually punished in one way or another. Not harshly, only enough to make sure they didn't try again. Neji's Byakugan spotted someone walking through and forced himself to ignore them. None had the chakra system of a ninja. They were only civilians.

There had to be some place hadn't checked yet. Neji tried to recall some of the facts he'd heard throughout his life about the Uchiha Clan. Itachi had massacred them all, with the sole exception of Sasuke. Before that happened, however, did Sasuke have any friends in the clan? Someone he visited every now and then? Neji frowned; he wasn't sure. But Uchiha Itachi apparently had a friend that he'd killed _before_ murdering the others. What was his name again?

...Uchiha... Shisui. That was it; Uchiha Shisui. Perhaps that person used to be a friend of Sasuke as well. But where did he live before he died?

The reason Neji knew his name was because he was said to be one of the most skilled ninjas of the entire Uchiha clan; a genius. When Uchiha Itachi refused to help Sasuke train, perhaps Sasuke had turned to Shisui instead. That made sense. If Shisui used to be as skilled as Neji had heard, he'd probably lived close to the Main Family. With a new goal in mind, Neji once again hurried to the house that had previously belonged to Sasuke's family.

Noon was approaching, but he still had some hours left. Once he was at his destination, he activated his Byakugan once more. He had turned it off on the way there to save some energy. Even so, his tiredness was getting to him. Breathing raggedly, but not exactly loudly, he turned away from the house and scanned the area _around_ it instead. Knowing how well experienced ninjas hid their chakra, he checked each house carefully.

A flash of chakra caught his eyes for a second. Then it was gone.

_Found you._

He felt relieved and anxious at the same time, but didn't lower his guard. Not wasting more time, he jumped from roof to roof, heading towards a surprisingly small house. No wonder it had escaped him last time he got an overview of the area. It was located next to a calm river, as well as other small buildings, and was almost hidden by overgrown hedges. That could make it easy to prepare an ambush, so Neji loaded his feet with chakra and stepped onto the calm stream of water and walked closer.

"Sasuke, that guy's here now!" he heard and instantly jumped back a little. The voice came from the water?

Sure enough, seconds later a head appeared where he'd been standing. Slowly, a blue-skinned man surfaced until he, too, was standing on top of the water. The toothy grin instantly reminded Neji of Kisame. Sakura had mentioned him before; that had to be Suigetsu, the one who almost caused her to drown. Neji had the upper hand if Suigets used the same techniques as Kisame of Akatsuki. Simply knowing which skills and abilities the enemy had was a great advantage.

"Fine. You can leave." Sasuke said, and Neji turned to see the Uchiha stand on the shore next to the small house. It had two floors, but compared to the surrounding buildings, it still wasn't much. It was most likely designed not to catch too much attention. An ideal home for a skilled ninja.

"What the heck? First you tell me to guard, then yo tell me to-"

"Go, and don't stir up Juugo. If you do, I'll deal with you later." Sasuke said, ignoring the words of the other man. Suigetsu just huffed and left, heading away from the house and the river, in the direction of Konoha's outer wall.

Once he was gone, Neji and Sasuke were left in a cold, stifling silence only broken by the river. The two watched each other, one calm and devoid of emotion, the other tired, yet determined.

"Where is Sakura?" Neji demanded. Sasuke lowered his gaze to the large scroll under Neji's arm.  
"Inside. She made a bother of herself." he answered silently, looking back into Neji's Byakugan. His own eyes were still jet black, and his demeanor remained calm.

"What do you mean?" Neji continued, also quiet.  
"...She attempted to escape." Sasuke said nonchalantly, tilting his head up slightly.

"And what did you do to her after that?"  
"We only sealed her consciousness. Give me the scroll." Sasuke said, growing impatient.

Watching the Uchiha carefully, Neji grabbed the large scroll with both hands and threw it at him. The fake scroll whirled in the air before being caught. Sasuke only glanced at it before he looked back at Neji, who returned the stare. If Sasuke looked upon himself as an honorable ninja, he would let Sakura go. If he was not, however, things could get ugly. Then again... Neji's fake scroll was not really that honorable either.

"This scroll is just a fake." Sasuke said. Neji frowned. What now? He had never really thought Sasuke would fall for the scroll, but to find out so fast?

"...Also, what is the Hokage doing here?" he added, now sounding amused. His face, however, betrayed nothing. Neji, confused, used his Byakugan to look around without moving.

To his grand surprise Tsunade was walking closer, calmly moving on top of the water. Her confident strides took her there in no time.

"Uchiha Sasuke, is it?" she said once she stopped, her hands at her hips in a confident stance.  
"Hokage-sama!" Neji said, thrown completely off guard by her sudden entrance. She paid no heed to him.

"I figured you'd find out the scroll was a fake." she said, her voice loud. Neji felt his mind work rapidly. Had she followed him all here? Since when?  
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke demanded, frowning.

"I do not intend to reply to that inquiry. However, I realize the necessity of explaining to you the reason behind that scroll. I am sure you understand that I, as the Hokage, cannot easily give away a scroll with forbidden jutsus." she said, wearing her usual frown, as if she was informing her subjects of a particularly important mission.

"Oh? Isn't Sakura worth even one old scroll?" Sasuke countered. Tsunade shut her eyes for a moment.

"Bringing people back to life with forbidden jutsus is not allowed. In most cases, it will be punished with death. As for the scroll you so desire so much, it holds _no such justu._ If it did, I would have it eliminated for the safety of Konoha. A jutsu like that can make even the most respectable ninjas do something they'd regret later." Tsunade said, her voice steady. After she was finished, however, she dared to lower her eyes for a moment, hiding her eyes from view behind blond locks.

...Did she have anyone she wanted to bring back? Neji frowned as the thought of his father once again flickered in his mind.

"Disturbing the peace of the dead is not something you should do so easily." Tsunade finished, then looked back at Sasuke with renewed strength in her eyes.  
"Are you saying... they can't be brought back?" Sasuke suggested while smirking, clearly not taking her seriously. The rare show of emotion took Neji aback; Sasuke was not like he remembered. He wouldn't listen to reason.

"I am saying that the last chance of bringing them back disappeared along with Orochimaru... and Chiyo of the Sand. With their deaths, all resurrection jutsus became extinct." she said.

* * *

-I-I-I-

Once upon a time, rinnyzito strangled this internet page for not working as it should.  
Then rinnyzito's school attempted to drown her with tests, assignments, homework, presentations, in-depht work, etc.

The only way to save her is to review. (because reviews equal inspiration :D )


	20. Take your leave

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

If school were a river... your reviews would be my bridge. Thankies.  
And... WHOA! Chapter twenty! That probably means there are only a few chapters left...

* * *

Take your leave

* * *

"You are saying... that the fate of my clan cannot be changed?" Sasuke questioned, his scornful voice quiet, yet easy to hear.

"Yes." Tsunade replied. Neji's eyes flickered in her direction, but not for long.

"...And why should I believe that?" Sasuke sneered. The large scroll in his hand was suddenly engulfed in flames, and its ashes were taken away by the wind. They blew past Neji and Tsunade, who only briefly shut their eyes. Neji's Byakugan still let him keep an eye on Sasuke, whose hands had been holding the fake scroll. He was completely unaffected. The acrid scent of burned material only lasted for a moment before disappearing with the remains of the scroll. Tsunade straightened her back.

"The real Scroll contains forbidden jutsus. Those jutsus are only used in battles, meaning they are all _offensive_. None of them are medical jutsus, because if they were, we would have used them frequently at the hospital. As for resurrection jutsus... I already told you. If that scroll held any such jutsu, it would be a danger to all of us." Tsunade explained with a deep frown on her face.

"Oh? Would the Hokage really be tempted by a jutsu like that?" Sasuke asked.

"_Shut up!_ I'm telling you to be gone!" Tsunade exclaimed, furious, daring him to oppose her. Despite being outnumbered, Sasuke leered at them.

"I have already been in all the other Hidden villages to check their forbidden jutsu scrolls to see if they had any useful techniques. None of them had any, so I was forced back to Konoha in the end. Why give up now?" he said in a low voice. Neji could have sworn the temperature decreased by several degrees while he spoke.

"What makes you think Konoha has a resurrection jutsu if the other villages don't have any? The chances of finding a technique like that in practically non-existent." Tsunade said silently, forcing herself not to raise her voice.

"As I thought... Konoha is useless. Without the Uchiha Clan, that is. I suppose examining Orochimaru's hideouts one more time can't hurt." Sasuke said monotonously. The smirk was gone from his face, and his stone-like features returned. Then he shut his eyes.

"...Karin. We are leaving" he said, his voice slightly louder than before.

"What?! I thought you were going to kick that guy's ass! I mean, that new woman can't be keeping you, can she?!" a shrill voice shouted, and a woman appeared in the door of the small house. Her scarlet red hair was peculiar; it was long and combed on one side, but shorter and unkempt on the other. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and her frown clearly indicated that she was not pleased. Using one hand to move her glasses closer to her eyes, she looked at Neji and Tsunade.

"Who the heck are you anyway, lady?" she demanded. Neji, who was standing on the river between the two women, stepped back. If Tsunade was offended, he didn't want to stand in her way. The Hokage, however, remained calm.

"...I could ask you the same, insolent teenager." she replied, one of her eyebrows twitching.  
"Kid?! Who-"  
"I am the Hokage, always ready, and _willing_, to engage in battle to protect this village." Tsunade cut her off, her voice loud.

The two of them eyed each other, one of them tall and determined with her arms crossed, the other snarling and cursing under her breath. If it hadn't been for Sasuke and Neji, it wouldn't have been surprising if they started attacking each other. Each of them obviously found the other annoying, and none of them tried to hide it. If their glares could send electric sparkles, lightning on a day without clouds would become reality.

"Karin, stop. Killing them now won't help." Sasuke said, then turned to leave. She immediately snapped out of it and looked at him with wide eyes.  
"...Aaah, are you worried that I'll get hurt..? Say, I have an idea, why don't we leave Suigetsu and Juugo behind now that you brother is dead? We don't need them!" Karin said in a flirtatious voice, confusing both Neji and Tsunade. Her sudden change of attitude was not expected, to say the least.

"I need _you_ just as little as I need _them._ Get moving, or I'll leave you behind." Sasuke said in a stoic voice while walking away on the surface of the calm river. Karin followed him, jogging behind him like a dog after its master, if Neji were to describe it. He guessed Karin would do anything Sasuke asked of her.

"Wait! What makes you think we'll simply let you leave?" Neji demanded. Sasuke didn't stop, but Karin turned around with a devilish smirk playing at her lips.

"The fact that the small house behind you will explode in less than one minute, dumbass." she mocked. By the time she was done speaking, Sasuke had already disappeared into the shadows of the trees on the other side of the river. Karin followed him with steps that could only be described as _cheerful_. Neji jerked around to face the small house that had once belonged to Shisui, one of the most skilled ninjas of the Uchiha Clan.

"Neji! Locate Sakura!" Tsunade yelled, and Neji used his Byakugan to search the house while at the same time running closer to it. What he saw made him grit his teeth in frustration.

The house looked small on the outside, but on the inside... He should have known better than to think that Shisui of the Uchiha clan would live in a _small_ house. It had more floors than Tsunade's residence, only they were _below_ the ground instead of above it. Winding stairs went down until they reached a slightly larger room on the very bottom. That was Sakura's current location.

"She's downstairs!" Neji said, and ran inside without waiting for orders. There was no time. Instead of running down all the stairs, he jumped. During his fall he had problems catching his breath, but still avoided stopping his fall by using chakra-loaded hands and feet. Once he landed, he immediately moved over to Sakura. She was on the floor, on a dusty, old carpet. Tsunade appeared next to him, frowning deeply as she watched her apprentice.

"Neji, get her on your back! We have to get out of here as fast as possible!" she shouted. Even though he hadn't spotted any bombs yet, he wasn't about to wait around to find out if they were there or not. With some rough-handed help from Tsunade, Neji got Sakura on his back. She was unconscious, but still had a whole lot of chakra. Judging from the dirt on her previously white dress, she had most likely tried escaping. Her knuckles were bloody from not using gloves in her attempt.

With Sakura on his back, Neji followed Tsunade back to the winding stairs. They still had time to get up if they jumped using the stair banisters to gain leverage. Using Kawarimi no Jutsu to switch places with something up there was out of the question, as it was impossible to take Sakura along. That was a simple jutsu that only brought the user and his belongings away from damage. It was not made to move two people at once.

Just as they were about to go back up, the upper floor exploded. In seconds, it was engulfed in flames. Dust and remains of the house fell down to where they were standing. Right after the noise came to an end, the floor _below_ it blew up, creating yet another ear-shattering blast. Pieces of the wooden stairs fell down, forcing Neji and Tsunade to step back. Once again, after the explosion subsided, a new one started, this time even closer. The ground shook and dust slowly filled the room.

"...Damn!" Tsunade hissed. She glanced around to find something, _anything_, that could be used to get them out.

Forcing himself not to start coughing in the increasing amount of smoke and dust, Neji stepped closer to the wall. If they tried jumping out the same way they came in, the stairs could crumble under their feet. The flames would put them on fire. The mental image of Sasuke disposing of the fake scroll flashed in his mind. At the same time, yet another blast was heard. This time pieces of the ceiling fell down and Neji barely dodged the earth and rocks that followed.

"I'll make an opening in the wall. Stand back!" Tsunade ordered. Neji knew that there was a chance they would get buried alive if she used her chakra-powered punches to get away from there, but there was no other way. He was pretty sure she knew that.

With no further ado, she shoved her right palm into the wall and watched it crumble beneath her touch before giving in completely. Tsunade didn't stop, but continued to punch the wall with both hands, using only her palms. Neji guessed it would spread the force of her attacks, instead of using her fists to release massive damage to one point only. She created a cave-like opening and gestured at Neji to follow her. He did, carefully watching her attacks on the stone wall. Another explosion was heard right behind them, and Neji assumed only one bomb was left; the bomb in the room Sakura had been kept.

Tsunade put more power into her punches, fiercely punching the wall in front of her. By now, she had already created a tunnel that pointed upwards. It was like stairs made of earth. When the noise of the bomb behind them stopped, the final explosion started. Even before the sound and air pressure of it got to them, Neji could tell it was much stronger by watching it from his position in the newly made tunnel. Smoke and fire-engulfed pieces of wood flew in their direction. At the same time, the ceiling of the unstable tunnel started falling, coming closer fast, like an avalanche of earth and stones.

They were left in complete and utter darkness, but the sound of falling stones increased by the second. Neji felt mud and pebbles pool at his feet.

Hearing Tsunade give a displeased grunt as she increased her speed even more, Neji didn't know what to do. Should he move closer and risk getting hit by Tsunade or one of the stray rocks she punched? Or should he move back not to get in her way, thus risking to get hit in his head by the falling ceiling? His Byakugan didn't help much in the darkness, either. He could only see his, Tsunade's and Sakura's chakra systems.

"How far left?!" Tsunade demanded, and Neji tried to focus his Byakugan on the surface. At least it was light enough for him to see up there.

"About one floor! We're less than ten feet away!" he replied, his voice hopefully louder than the deafening sound of rocks crashing down behind them. Speaking of which, if he didn't move closer to Tsunade, previously mentioned rocks would definitely drop on him. Neji stepped closer, coordinating his steps from the sounds he heard. For a moment, Tsunade stopped punching the wall. Then he felt the air shift as if someone had just moved past him.

Half a second later, he heard an ear-deafening smash from right above him.

He stepped back and stopped as Sakura hit the wall behind him. At that, he stepped forward again. Had Tsunade just punched the ceiling? There was no time for him to ponder about that, as moist earth, stones and small pebbles fell down onto them in the shape of dirty porridge, threatening to drown them. Before it was too late, Neji let Sakura slide down from his back and bent over her to shield her unconscious form from damage. Cold, heavy dirt fell onto his back and continued until it stopped around Sakura, who was below him. On his knees next to her and with one hand on each side of her, he made sure nothing came close to her face and stopped her from breathing. He felt her warm breath and became increasingly alarmed as the weight on his back only became heavier.

Then the noise subsided completely. No new explosions followed. With arms that shook from the heavy weight of earth and mud on top of him, Neji grit his teeth and tried to compose himself enough to come up with an idea. Before he got that far, however, the weight decreased a little. Or was it just his imagination?

...No. It was definitely getting easier on his arms.

Out of nowhere, someone grabbed the back of his shirt and he gave a surprised exclamation as he felt himself being pulled up. Before it was too late, he took hold of Sakura and linked his hands behind her back. It didn't take long before both of them were back in broad daylight. Neji blinked and shut his eyes tightly, temporarily blinded by the sunlight. In front of him, he could discern the silhouette of his saviour; the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama..." he said silently, watching as she lowered in front of Sakura, who was on the ground. She still slept peacefully, unaware of what had happened.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." he continued, trying to regain some of his pride. After all, he was not exactly the cleanest man in Konoha at the moment. Neji had managed to get out Sakura, but he doubted he'd be able to save the clothes he currently wore.

Speaking of which, Sakura wouldn't be too pleased when she woke up and found her dress in that state. What had Sasuke said? ...That he had sealed her consciousness. Narrowing his eyes, he pondered how long such a technique would last and when Sakura would wake up. It could be today, tomorrow, or in a week for all he knew. Tsunade would know as soon as she found out exactly which sealing jutsu it was.

"...I will take her to the hospital. You go home for now." he heard Tsunade say.

* * *

How indescribably frustrating.

In a frenzy of anger and irritation, Tsunade had ordered the poor, yet obedient Shizune to tell the ninjas that Sasuke was no longer in Konoha. However, they wanted to know _why_ he had been there, _when_ he had been there, if he was coming _back_, and _who_ he was with. Most importantly, they wanted to know how he could enter and leave Konoha without being stopped. They had the right to know, of course, but the matter was not easy to explain at all. What should she say? That she had chosen to save Sakura _instead_ of following Sasuke, whose rank had grown from _B_ to _S_ in only a couple of years? That was definitely not what a Hokage should do.

Which was why almost all of the jounins and ANBU members were on the roof of the Hokage's building at the moment. There simply wasn't enough room in her office.

"I am _not_ telling you this one more time! Uchiha Sasuke's purpose was to steal the Scroll of Forbidden jutsus, because he is searching for one special jutsu! I told him Konoha held no such jutsu, which is true! He and one other person then escaped after only a few minutes of fighting me and a member of ANBU." she said. There was no reason to tell them that their fight with Sasuke and Karin was _verbal_, not _physical_.

"But-"  
"NO BUTS! Are you doubting me, your Hokage?! If you don't believe me, go to the Uchiha compound by the river! You will find traces of our battle there. Now... _DISMISSED!_" she exclaimed on the top of her lungs, daring them to say against her. At the moment, merely looking into her eyes and meeting her deadly stare would be an enormous feat. She was absolutely furious.

Once they all left in puffs of smoke, literally leaving Tsunade in their dust, she stomped all the way to the hospital.

Needless to say, no one stopped her.

She had placed Sakura in a room with only a bed, a chair and a small table. After ordering all nurses to stay out, she had told Shizune to keep an eye on them just in case, as most of them were masters of gossip. There was a small window in the room, but the blinds prevented light (and other peculiarities, gossip nurses being one of them) from peeking inside.

Her rage didn't subside until she stopped next to the bed of her apprentice. Apart from her unusually slow breathing, nothing seemed to be wrong with her. In fact, she looked like she was in a deep slumber.

Residing on the small table next to her bed was several books about sealing jutsus. Some were old and worn, others were large and fairly new, but most were small. Tsunade grabbed the one on top, an ancient book in her opinion, and sat down on the equally old chair. It squeaked beneath her weight. As long as it didn't break, however, she couldn't care less.

After reading the old book with enough efficiency to blow Shizune away, she dropped it on the floor and grabbed a new book from the pile on the table. The faint light from the ceiling lamp was not of much help, as she somehow ended up bending over the book while reading, which left the shadow of her head on the pages in front of her. Ignoring it, she continued.

When she found something that could be of help, she left the room and found some chalk. Once she returned, she used it to draw lines and seals on the floor and even on Sakura's blanket. Then she activated the jutsu and tried releasing the seal that was currently preventing Sakura from waking up. It didn't work. Tsunade continued searching, occasionally trying jutsus, never taking any breaks.

Almost a day later, early in the morning, the lack of sleep got to her. Or, according to herself, the lack of _coffee_ got to her. That was all she needed.

She had read through all the books already. Perhaps she could order Shizune to search the library again, even though she had already checked the place several times. With incoherent thoughts rampaging in her mind, Tsunade blindly obeyed her need of caffeine. She walked over to the door and opened it.

To her surprise, a horde of nurses were awaiting her. Whether it was because they wanted to see who was in the room behind her or because of the rare guest standing in the middle of them all, she would never find out. She was interrupted by a voice that sounded remarkably much like her own.

"COFFEE! IMMEDIATELY!"

Some seconds passed, in which she grasped that it really _was_ her own voice. The nurses scattered, each mumbling something more or less appropriate. She hoped she would get one cup of coffee from each of them, actually. Or was sake a better idea? ...Probably not. Not until after Sakura was awake.

The person who had been the source of attention before Tsunade interrupted turned to her with a twitching eyebrow.

"Again, thank you, Hokage-sama." Neji managed. She found his hair quite beautiful; it had the color of coffee.

* * *

-I-I-I-  
Tsunade, the sleepless savior. Neji, the hero who tries to regain his pride repeatedly, but not without trouble. Sakura, the damsel in distress who doesn't like being the damsel in distress.  
About Karin, I don't really like her, but I don't dislike her either. I know someone really friendly with that name, so it's a little confusing.

That was random. I like cookies very much. Too much.


	21. Vigil and Slumber

Disclaimer: Naruto does _not_ legally belong to me, because I'm a _fan_ who writes for other fans.

Thenk yoo. Your reviews mean _incredibly_ much to me, thank you SO much!

* * *

Vigil and Slumber

* * *

Neji was in trouble.

Every day it became harder for him to visit Sakura. The nurses were starting to think of his regular visits as suspicious because he only visited one person. They had made it a habit to scout for him, and when one of them saw him, she hissed a message about it to the others. Of course, not _all_ the nurses were like that. Most of them were nice and couldn't care less about the Hyuuga prodigy sneaking around. They had other things to take care of, such as male ninjas around their own age. Was this why the legendary Hatake Kakashi feared hospitals? Neji wondered if any nurses had ever tried to pull down that mask of his. They most likely had.

But some of the nurses, even though they were not many, were far more persistent. Which was why Neji had gotten used to come in through the window. This time, however, he had been caught in the act.

"Neji... What're you doing?" Naruto asked, squinting at him with a suspicious look on his face. Neji, who had just come through the window, thought fast.  
"...I needed to escape from someone." he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Who?" Naruto countered.  
"Ah... Some nurses followed me." he replied, his eyebrow twitching to show his displeasure.

"Why? And why did you come in here, of all places? You could at least have chosen the room next door." Naruto said, still squinting at him through narrowed eyes.

"This window was my only chance. I didn't even have enough time to move to the next one." Neji explained.

Naruto seemed to accept that and gave a long sigh as he tilted his head to watch the sleeping Sakura. Worried, he sat down on the single chair next to her bed and frowned. Neji just remained where he was, silently observing the scene. Neji was not the only one concerned about Sakura. There was only a matter of time before her other friends would show up. Speaking of which, perhaps Ino and Tenten had already paid a visit.

"Ooi! We're coming in!" a voice called. A second later the door opened to reveal three ninjas, all fully equipped and seemingly ready to go on a mission sometime very soon. They were Kiba, Shino and Hinata. Kiba stomped inside and glared at Naruto, but kept his mouth shut of respect. A bark was heard from the hall, probably from Akamaru, but the large, white dog did not follow them. Shino slowly walked inside after Kiba with his hands in his pocket and unreadable features. The last of them, Hinata, bowed once to Neji and then to Naruto before coming inside as well, then carefully shut the door behind them.

"...Naruto. We need to go." Shino said after nodding briefly in Neji's direction.

"Yeah, we have an important mission!" Kiba continued impatiently, although quieter than usual.

"P-Please take your time, Naruto-kun..." Hinata finished, bowing slightly again. Neji watched the three of them carefully. They were going on a mission with Naruto, judging from what they said. What kind of mission? Hinata was a chuunin, Shino had been a jounin for a while, and Kiba had only recently become one. Neji remembered the scouting mission with himself, Sakura, Sai and Kiba. At the time, two of them were ANBU members and the two others were jounins. Perhaps that was one of Kiba's first missions as a jounin. In that case, it was still important to make a good impression on by completing missions successfully.

"I'm coming." Naruto said, regaining his confidence as he rose from the chair. Then he gave Sakura the thumbs up while flashing a grin. He knew she couldn't see him, or hear him for that matter, but Naruto still did it.

That made Neji wonder if Naruto liked her more than just as a friend. Hopefully he viewed her as a sister. A precious sister. For now, Naruto would have to leave her. He'd most likely come back to visit her as soon as the mission was done. Was he a chuunin or a jounin? Neji avoided asking. He would just ask Sakura later. If she woke up, that is.

No, _when_ she woke up.

"By the way, what're _you_ doing here?" Kiba asked Neji through narrowed eyes.  
"Hiding from nurses." he stated and earned an amused loud bark-like laugh.

"...My condolences, Neji." Shino said, then turned to leave. This made Kiba laugh even more, and Hinata worriedly tried to stop him from disturbing Sakura. Truth be told, Neji actually hoped he'd wake her up. That did not happen, though.

"Bye, Neji." Naruto said, waving a hand as he left with the others. As soon as they were gone, Neji sighed loudly and sat down on the chair. It made some disturbing sounds beneath him, but it still held him.

Watching Sakura was becoming difficult. She had been like that for more than a week, and Tsunade was getting edgier and more annoyed every day. She had tried everything: Seals, jutsus, illusions, chakra-infusions, chakra-draining, and even shouting. At one point she had tried shaking Sakura 'back to life', but without results. Her heartbeat had not changed at all. It was still eerily slow and calm.

"Wake up... It is morning already." Neji said, too quietly for her to hear his words, but loud enough for her to hear that he spoke.

Could she hear him? Tsunade said that her senses were sealed. Sakura couldn't see, hear, smell, taste or feel anything at all, whatsoever.  
Could she still think? Neji believed so.

* * *

_Her current state could only be described as incredibly, tremendously, and horribly boring. _

_...Boring. Backwards, that word would be... gnirob. Her own name spelled backwards would be Arukas. That was nice, but also indescribably, unbelievably and terribly boring. After all, she had thought of the same thing hundreds of times already. Her head ached. How long had she been like this? She wanted to get out of there. Had Sasuke kidnapped her, or had someone saved her? What about Neji? He would think she hadn't even put up a fight! She needed to tell him that she had. _

_Neji's name backwards would be Ijen. That should be pronounced Eedjen, not Aidjen._

_How utterly pathetic she felt._

_She was all alone in the middle of a vast plain that was black, with black skies and no wind. Nothing was there except for herself. She was all alone. That is, she _would _ have been all alone if it wasn't for Inner Sakura. That part of herself had kept her entertained the first couple of days before giving up completely. She actually wanted Inner Sakura to come back and entertain her. That was quite miserable, considering that Inner Sakura _was_, in fact, her own mind. Whenever she spoke words she didn't mean, her true opinions were announced loudly in her mind for no one else to hear._

_Where was she, by the way? Where was her body right now? There was a number of possibilities. She could be at the Konoha hospital, with Sasuke and his gang, dumped in a forest or some kind of hole in the ground, she could be buried alive, or she could be tortured by Karin despite the fact that she didn't feel anything at the moment. That, Sakura concluded, was _not _ what she wanted to think about right now._

_Extreme boredom called for extreme measures. Time to try escaping from this place again._

_She couldn't speak, nor move. All of her senses were blocked, just like her chakra. That was definitely the reason for the darkness that shrouded her. She could breathe and think, but nothing else. When she tried moving, some kind of wall was in her way. An invisible wall. In other words, a barrier._

_Perhaps she was dead. In that case, where the was the light? She wanted to get out of here._

_...But she couldn't move. And she couldn't die just yet, either. There were so many people she wanted to punch before moving on. The first one on that list was Sasuke, shortly followed by Karin and Suigetsu._

* * *

"Hokage-sama... Why did you bring that here?" Neji asked, watching as Tsunade pulled a huge closet inside. It barely got through the door. Before answering him, she moved it to the window. Not in front of it, of course, but right next to it.

"...Shizune received a report from some of the ANBU ninjas patrolling around Konoha. Apparently, they spotted Sasuke's team. But Sasuke himself was not there." she said.

That immediately caught his attention. Did Sasuke want the Forbidden Scroll, even after Tsunade had told him it had no such a thing as a resurrection jutsu? If that was the case, Tsunade should be guarding it.

"He is after that scroll, I am sure of it. But I can't waste time by guarding it in my office all day, and I can't carry it around either." she continued. She did _not_ want to be in her office with that dangerous thing, merely because she wanted to be here, with her apprentice. Waking Sakura up was her priority. Neji's silver eyes flickered in the direction of the closet. When he once again met Tsunade's confident eyes, he already had an idea of what was going on.

"The scroll... Is it in that closet?" Neji tried. Tsunade smirked. Then, with a solemn move of her arm, she opened the doors of the closet to reveal piles of towels and white nurse clothes.

"Of _course_ it isn't." she said, her pleased face betraying the complete opposite. She grabbed a bunch of towels and moved them up just enough for Neji to catch a glimpse of what was hidden there. The Forbidden Scroll _was_ there, after all. Was that really a good idea?  
"...Understand?" Tsunade demanded, now serious. He nodded once. Frowning, he watched as she shut the closet and sealed it with several jutsus, some of which Neji had never even heard of. He would be unable to open it even if he tried.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Neji, I need to tend to Sakura." she said, her shoulders falling as she relaxed a little.

...Or was it because she was losing hope?

* * *

Sasuke had searched through every last corner of the entire building.

The Hokage was either carrying it with her or hiding it somewhere else. The latter would not surprise him. As for traces, he had not even left a strand of hair. That would be ridiculously amateurish. Everything was like it had been before he got there, and no one would notice anything. Sure, some of them would probably get a bad feeling, or even the chills, but they would still not realize he had been there. He had even visited the library and Orochimaru's old labs, but without luck. Orochimaru had brought everything with him when he left Konoha, so that did not surprise him.

The current location of the Forbidden Scroll was unknown. However, he still had a couple of ideas as to where it could be. While searching, he had come across numerous books that held no value to him whatsoever, but a couple were actually interesting. He had leafed through them with vague hopes of finding a resurrection jutsu, but there was none. Every single book he had found was useless. Not worthless, only completely useless. That meant he only had the Forbidden Scroll left, and he was not completely sure where it was.

Which was why his fury was growing.

Even though he had some places to check out, he could end up taking too long. His anger would get the best of him. He was perfectly able to control his chakra, his energy and his actions, but he could not stop the massive pressure caused by his mere anger. If that darkness were to escape his control, ninjas would surely notice and locate him. It would not be a problem for him to defeat them, but it would be a waste of time, and Konoha would heighten its guard. How annoying.

As for the whereabouts of the Forbidden Scroll, these were the most likely ones:

One: Tsunade had entrusted it to her loyal servant, Shizune, who would guard it with her life.  
Two: Tsunade had hidden it somewhere she thought no one would search for it, such as in Sakura's house.  
Three: Tsunade had brought it to somewhere it would be 'safe' from attacks. The hospital.

Considering that the Hokage and Shizune were not currently in the main building of Konoha, even though it was in the middle of the night, he guessed that number _three_ was correct. Tsunade would not go to Sakura's place at this hour. Being her, she was probably working overtime with Sakura, trying to wake her up from his sealing jutsu. That would be futile. The caster was the only person who could break it. If Tsunade was at the hospital, she did most likely not want to leave the Forbidden Scroll behind. In other words, it would be wherever she was.

His destination was the hospital. It was not too far from his current location; it would take him less than a minute to get there.

About twenty seconds later he arrived at the roof of the hospital, which held countless white garments that were drying in the cold wind. It brought back memories. He had been fighting Naruto back then, and he had almost lost as well. Frowning, Sasuke erased the burdensome pictures from his mind and replaced them with a cold wall. The only thing gracing his features now was expressionlessness. That was how he wanted things to be. He still had goals to complete. His anger, however, did not subside the slightest.

Without problems he walked to the edge of the roof and continued down the wall with chakra in his feet. All the lights were off and the curtains were pulled, but that was of no consequence. He activated his Sharingan and narrowed his eyes as the ever-present tingle ran from his temples to his chest, threatening to let his adrenaline run loose. Sasuke suppressed it, determined not to get spotted yet.

Scanning the rooms one by one as he passed them, his Sharingan searched for any signs of result of the sealing jutsu he had used on Sakura. He figured that wherever his pink-haired ex-teammate was, Tsunade would also be waiting. He held back a smirk. When they had told him earlier that the Forbidden Scroll did not have any resurrection jutsus, a part of him had believed them. He despised that. Which was why he wanted to see for himself.

There she was. Sleeping so deeply that no one but himself could awaken her.

Carefully checking the room for other chakra presences, he went inside through the already open window. Why was it open? They were making it pathetically easy for him to just walk in there. Once his feet landed on the floor without a sound, he strode to the middle of the room. There was a bed, a chair, a cupboard and a closet. Sakura occupied the bed, and the cupboard was too small to hold a scroll. The closet seemed large enough, though.

But what if Tsunade was carrying it around? It was not likely, but there was probably not anyone around to see her carrying it in the middle of the night anyway, so technically, there _was_ a possibility she still had it. It could also be in that closet.

He reached out and touched it, then pulled back his hand as light emitted from the two doors. Seals. Allowing himself to frown in distaste, he shut his eyes and gathered chakra in his fingertips. He formed numerous hand seals, then pushed both hands on the doors, resulting in one of the barriers fading. Then he formed another set of seals to remove another one, and continued until there was only one seal left. That seal, of course, was _not_ on the two small doors. It was the seal on Sakura. In other words, _his_ seal was the only one that remained. The doors were ready to be opened.

Without hesitating, he opened them and moved the white towels away carefully, not wanting to leave any traces. He would check the scroll. If there was no resurrection jutsu, he would leave it behind and erase all traces. He would even put the seals back up. However, it the scroll _had_ such a spell, he would take it with him. Without tidying, of course. They would know it was him.

After taking hold of the scroll and feeling his adrenaline once again try to reveal his presence, Sasuke opened it and carefully read the words written. The paper was old enough to fall apart, as were the words and the ink with which they were written. Under the description of each jutsu was an old-fashioned drawing of a ninja. He guessed it was the First Hokage. After a while the pictures changed. The Second Hokage was there instead. Then the Third. Only a few jutsus had the picture of the Fourth under them. None interested him. He slowed down when he found the jutsus banned by Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. After all, she was a medic. Perhaps she had a useful spell...

...No. Nothing. Not one healing jutsu was written down. Sasuke couldn't have cared less about the others.

This was bad. Disappointment never lingered long in him; instead, it turned into rage. His aggravation turned into rage. Every trace of provoked sensations he felt was consumed by that rage. The reason he never felt sadness anymore was because it morphed into anger before he could comprehend it. What had he expected? That the scroll really held the jutsu he was looking for? He should have known better than to believe that _Konoha_, of all villages, would have a useful spell like that.

"...of course, no problem. I can see why you worry." he heard. Someone was coming closer. If he wanted to get out, he had to hurry.

"I will leave it to you, then. Guard Sakura and the scroll well. I will be back in the morning." someone else said. A woman. Tsunade. Sasuke barely grasped her words through the boiling feeling in his gut. He had to rid himself of his anger _now._

"Yes, I will."

Wait. That was the voice of that person Sakura had been with. Hyuuga Neji.

Patiently listening to Neji's approaching steps, Sasuke also made sure that Tsunade left. She seemed to be in a hurry to get some sleep. Perhaps she wanted to come back here in the morning again, as early as possible. At any rate, she left the hospital in a great hurry. Neji, on the other hand, seemed to be hesitating. Sasuke wanted to get the best out of this situation. Neji would be the outlet of his anger. How could he make that person react in a way that was worth it all? Worth Sasuke's troubles of getting this far without finding the jutsu he searched for..?

Already knowing the answer, he touched the hilt of his sword.

Time to let go of some steam.

* * *

-I-I-I-

This fic is rated T, so there won't be any raping or anything... But there'll still be some action.  
AND! This is the last time Sasuke comes to Konoha and bothers our dear couple.

YOUR REVIEWS MAKE ME SMILE SO MUCH THAT MY FACE GETS DISTORTED. Thank you very much! :) ...Really.


	22. Stains

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto at all.

Hopefully this chapter will have more action! I'll be changing a lot between the point of views. Thanks so much to the reviewers!

Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to dai86. Thanks for the fanart, dai86! (there are links to both of his pictures on my profile... the pics are awesome!)

* * *

Stains

* * *

The second Neji opened the door, he froze in his steps. Sasuke stood next to the open window, barely supporting the still unconscious Sakura with one arm. In the same hand he held the Forbidden Scroll, unrolled and surely already revealed. In his other hand he held his lethal weapon; a sword that was once again pointed at Sakura's throat. Sasuke, though his back was straight and his stance was proud, lowered his face to Sakura until his crimson eyes were hidden by his jet-black locks. The Uchiha surely knew Neji was there, but taunted him by not acknowledging his presence.

"Sasuke!" he managed as he activated his Byakugan. The unrolled Forbidden Scroll was hanging from one of Sasuke's hands and continued down to the floor, where it pooled messily. Sakura on the other hand, was held close to her former teammate by his already partially occupied arm.

"...This scroll was useless after all. None of those jutsus are even worth learning." Sasuke muttered.

His anger was surging in the room, causing a combination of pressure and low temperature. However, his chakra remained concealed. He had not moved at all yet, which left behind a sense of false security. The crimson Sharingan was still hidden by his unruly hair. Neji doubted those eyes would stop burning any time soon.

"How can I rid myself of this endless frustration?" Sasuke taunted with clear traces of rage in his voice.

Moving the hand with his sword closer to himself, he started muttering inaudible words without making any hand-seals at all. After he was finished, he moved his now glowing hand back to Sakura, along with the sword.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Neji demanded. Sasuke paid no heed.

The light that was swimming around his hand a second ago now flowed towards Sakura and encased her in much darker, eerie shadows. Her hair moved slowly, as if under water, even though there was no wind. Instead of looking peaceful she started stirring, and then the shadows ran down her arms and legs and vanished into thin air.

"_Kai._" Sasuke muttered. _Release._

* * *

_Okay. Perhaps she could try some magic words. After all, she had run out of things to think of, such as old genin-homework, paperwork she had once done for Tsunade, jutsus, illusions and all the other stuff that used to be a lot funnier before she got stuck like this. She couldn't even practice the jutsus properly, she could only _think_ of them._

_Open Sesame..? No?  
Open Sissy?  
...Open Sassy.  
Open, Seriously.  
_

_Great. She had spent so much time in here that her imagination was gone. Wherever it was, it surely didn't know the way home._

_Open, or else.  
Red alert.  
Pink alert... No?_

_Sharingan alert._

_...Wait. Was it just her, or was something happening? She was getting cold, and fast.  
Sickeningly fast._

* * *

How he enjoyed seeing this. It was not nearly as good as finding the jutsu he desired, but this was still entertainment far better than Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin couldoffer him. Neji's many expressions so far were nearly amateurish; shock, anger, fear and concern for Sakura. Those were much like his own frustration, only Neji also showed an expression of _helplessness._ Sasuke did most certainly _not_ deem himself weak enough to allow others to call him _helpless._

Both of the men watched Sakura wake up. Without a sound, her eyes opened tiredly, instantly revealing her confusion. She looked as though she wished to speak, but apparently she hadn't regained her voice yet. Upon seeing him she only looked at him strangely, as if wholeheartedly thinking he were not real. She then blinked a few times while narrowing her eyes disbelievingly.

After finally realizing Sasuke was real, her eyes widened in shock and she tried shoving him away. Her efforts were futile; she couldn't even control her chakra yet. Sasuke smirked and loosened his grip on her just enough for her to start falling. Unwilling to fall into the mess of the unrolled scroll and the white towels from the closet, she weakly grabbed his shoulder in a poor attempt to remain standing.

She couldn't even stand on her own legs. How pitiful.

At the same time, Neji started sending chakra pulses, wordlessly signalling to any other available ninja nearby to come to his aid.

"Stop that. I'm warning you." Sasuke muttered. Sakura was shivering; he could tell she didn't like holding on to him for support.

Neji didn't stop.

"Stop, or else..." Sasuke said, his low voice betraying the hate and anger he felt. Once again, Neji chose not to obey him. By now, Sasuke could easily be described as pissed. He couldn't give Neji the upper hand that easily, not now. Therefore he sheathed his sword to free an arm. That momentarily caught the Hyuuga's attention.

"...Face the consequences." Sasuke muttered. Neji had shoved Sasuke's rage to the limit.

Deciding it was time to move, Sasuke dropped the scroll to the floor and scooped up Sakura, then swiftly jumped out of the window. The Uchiha sped up upon hearing Neji curse and follow. Sakura tried getting loose by kicking him and even punching him, which only made Sasuke tighten his grip more to prevent her from moving. Her white hospital garments made her quite visible in the dark night. She made an inconvenience of herself by simply being as 'illuminated' as she was. He would get spotted like this.

Of course, he could just drop her from a roof or something. If she landed on the concrete, he wouldn't really care.

But then it would look like he was running away.

So he jumped from house to house with one goal in mind: The training grounds in which he had spotted Neji and Sakura earlier. To him, that place wasn't special at all. To them, however, it probably meant something. He would destroy that memory, just like Konoha and its Forbidden Scroll had destroyed his hopes of resurrecting his clan.

"Stop..!" Sakura managed. He glanced at her face to catch a look of despise on her face. It wasn't directed towards him, but herself. She hated herself for being weak. Personally, Sasuke couldn't have cared less.

He didn't stop, not before he found the training grounds.  
Once he did, he was tempted to drop Sakura to the ground. She would definitely dislike that. Something made him reconsider, however.

"Stop, Sasuke. Your business is not with Sakura. Let her go, you." he heard Neji command.  
Sasuke frowned deeply.

One, Neji hadn't used an honorific. Two, he had been rude by calling him _'you'_. Three, he was trying to _command_ him. Big mistake.

"What do you-" Sasuke started, but was rudely interrupted as Sakura once again punched him in the stomach, only this time she seemed to have regained some strength.

That mistake was bigger.

Fuming with anger, Sasuke no longer bothered concealing his energy and chakra, and let it flow from him with full force. It encased him and Sakura in a blue light while blowing around with such pressure that it caught his two opponents completely off guard. With a simple flicker of his finger, which was loaded with a slightly milder version of Chidori, he pushed Sakura away from him. The weak Chidori was more than enough to immobilize her after her prolonged sleep.

* * *

After seeing Sakura fall to the ground, Neji immediately decided to engage in a fight.

He was already approaching when Sasuke pulled his sword. The Uchiha forced his Chidori into the blade of pure reflex, ready to strike his opponent if he came too close. Then he moved his hand to his mouth and got ready to make a fireball. Realizing this, Neji stopped right outside his reach and started spinning on the spot, using one of his Hyuuga jutsus. His chakra flowed into the barrier-like field that he created and would most likely cut anything that came too close.

"Katon!" Neji heard Sasuke shout. He didn't even need to say the full name of the jutsu?

The dark night was suddenly lit by a fireball of an unbelievable size. The ones Sasuke had made before no longer seemed impressive at all. The grand ball of flames kept growing until it could easily have swallowed a large building, then Sasuke forced it to close around Neji. Neji's protective jutsu _did_ protect him from the flames, but _not_ from the scorching heat that made the temperature rise so rapidly that that everything he looked at seemed to be waving. The warmth was unbearable. He would have used a jutsu to switch places with a log or a tree, but to do that he first needed to stop his protective jutsu.

And if he did that, he would turn into a crisp before Sasuke could say _'burn'_.

Thus he put even more force into his jutsu and willed himself to calm down, hoping Sasuke would stop wasting chakra on the famous jutsu. He did the right thing: Once Sasuke stopped his jutsu, both of them had lost an equal amount of chakra. That didn't stop Sasuke from trying again, though.

Unwilling to be shrouded in flames again, Neji dodged the attack by jumping sideways. The flames were dangerous, yes, but they were also slow and easy to evade. Sasuke followed him using moves fast enough to defy logic, but Neji kept up with him. His Byakugan let him see Sasuke's burning chakra, and thus he was able to see where he _shouldn't_ go. The sword was occasionally swung in his direction, leaving behind light mirages in its wake due to Chidori. Where would Sasuke strike next?

Neji realized too late that he had done a fatal mistake: He looked into Sasuke's eyes.

To say that his Sharingan burned like his fire jutsus would be an understatement. Instead of feeling warmth threatening to burn his skin, Neji felt something inside him burn, something that almost physically hurt his soul, if that was possible in the first place. This was genjutsu. The mere power of the illusion took Neji's breath away and forced him to stop in order to breathe again.

The illusion trapped all his senses, not only his vision and his sense of hearing. He was hit with an overwhelming stench of death; days old death, accompanied by a pile of dead and dying people surrounded by feasting insects. Those who were not dead looked at him pleadingly, and as they were unable to move and speak properly, they only gave pained sounds and cries. Neji grit his teeth at the sight. It was only an illusion.

"Kai." he muttered, making a single hand-seal. _Release._ The illusion stirred for a moment, but then returned. This time the people reached for him. With skin barely covering their knuckles, they crawled closer to him, making him frown in both pity and distaste. The sickening smell wasn't easy to ignore.

"Kai." Neji tried again, this time forcing his chakra in different directions to dispel the jutsu.

This time it worked.

Keeping a stoic face, Neji jumped backwards just in time to avoid being cut in two by Sasuke's sword. The Chidori within it sang loudly, chirping as the electricity whizzed by. Momentarily losing his balance, Neji used a tree for support. Sasuke charged at him with his sword in hand. Neji still had the smell of death fresh in mind, but countered with a kick when Sasuke came too close. It didn't connect.

Sasuke's sword barely hit Neji's upper arm, but despite the numbing feeling it left behind, Neji grabbed the sword before it could get away. The pain in his hand was not as bad as he thought it would be, but that was only because the Chidori numbed it. The wound was probably worse than it felt. Before Sasuke pulled it back and cut Neji's hand even more, Neji reached out and used a chakra-loaded finger to tap one of Sasuke's chakra points. It was in one of his shoulders, which had been the only opening Sasuke had given him.

After being hit, Sasuke jumped back while gritting his teeth. The Chidori disappeared from the sword as it fell to the ground.

Determined to keep fighting, Sasuke used his foot to flip the sword into his other hand and then reloaded it with chakra. This time he also let the Chidori cover his entire body, with the exception of the arm Neji had disabled. Even though Sasuke didn't show any signs of being hurt, Neji knew it had to hurt.

In the distance, or perhaps closer than he thought, Neji suddenly heard a hissing sound. Using his Byakugan, he looked at each tree, rock, log and bush in his vicinity, determined to reveal the source of the sound. Then cracks appeared in the ground and interrupted his search, stealing his attention. Snakes jumped from branches above while other vipers appeared from the shadows of the newly made cracks in the ground, catching Neji off guard by surrounding him. Before he managed to made any hand seals at all, the quick vipers were all over him, and he fell over.

In the corner of an eye he saw Sasuke run back where they came from.

With a great effort, he managed to free his hands and make some hand seals that allowed him to hit each snake square in the head with almost no aim at all. Most of them went limp, leaving Neji to free himself and chase after Sasuke. For some reason, his legs felt slightly strange.

* * *

Sasuke returned to where they had left Sakura, determined to make her pay for punching him in the gut earlier. He hadn't taken damage from it, but he still wanted to show her that she shouldn't have done such a thing.

"Sasuke!" he heard, and instinctively ducked and swept a leg towards whoever was behind him. As he expected, it was Sakura. She barely jumped out of the way. A quick glance at her fists with his Sharingan told him that she was using chakra.

"Foolish..." he muttered, spite evident in his voice. She charged at him only to watch helplessly as he stepped easily sidestepped.

"What good is strength if you have no speed, Sakura?" he mocked, still angry.

"Where is Neji!" she demanded.  
She was rewarded with a long, cold silence during which he only watched her with crimson, malevolent eyes.

"He is being punished as we speak. He won't live for long." he said, his monotonous voice loud and clear. Then, from behind him, Neji slowly walked out from the shadows of the trees, seemingly ready to attack. Sakura glanced at him, confused. Sasuke knew he was there, too. He also knew that the Hyuuga was weakened greatly.

"Of course, only killing him _physically_ won't do. In fact, breaking him from the inside is better." he said. At that, Sakura charged forward and punched his jaw. Sasuke didn't even blink. The Chidori in his body was all channeled into Sakura, making her flinch and sway, barely leaving her standing. He could have avoided her attack if he wanted to.

Then he sheathed his sword. This turn of events seemed to scare her.

For the sole purpose of destroying Neji from the inside instead of only on the outside, Sasuke closed the distance between him and Sakura and reached out. Frightened, she stepped back while holding her hands in front of her protectively. Having only one functioning arm at the moment, Sasuke charged forward and grabbed Sakura's hospital shirt by its collar. Still feeling her punch on his jaw, he let his Chidori paralyse her more than necessary.

Before she fell, her jade eyes wide, he quickly moved his arm around her and then cushioned her fall by slowly lowering to the ground. Sakura was shivering. Whether from the cold, the Chidori, her anger or her fear, he didn't care. His only motive was to kill Neji from the inside. Since when had he hated the Hyuuga so much? It could be because of his status. He was highly regarded in Konoha, but if the life of someone close was at stake, he became pathetically weak. How could someone as weak as _him_ become a highly regarded ninja?

Feeling his other arm gradually recover, he let it slide around to Sakura's back to pull her closer.

"Let her... go..." he heard. The weak voice did not surprise him. Neji had let the snakes attack him, after all. He should know that the more he moved, the more their poison would spread. Had the man even felt their bites pierce his skin?

Turning just enough to see Neji, who had fallen to his knees, Sasuke looked at him without any readable emotions and then returned his attention to the woman on his lap. Feeling something warm trickle down from his mouth, he realized Sakura had punched hard enough to make him bleed. He moved his free hand to the back of her head and held it there. Her pink forelocks hid her eyes from view.

Then, before she or Neji could grasp what he was up to, Sasuke pulled her into a deep, rough kiss. While he felt her hands on his chest and shoulder as she made futile attempts to push him away, he let her taste the blood she had made him spill. The more she resisted, the tighter he held her.

Neji had better die fast. And he wouldn't mind if Sakura did the same.

* * *

Neji, on the ground due to the poison from the snakes, watched in utter disbelief.

Blood drained from his face and the last remains of warmth left his spirit. He had never felt this cold.  
His soul felt like it was floating away from him.

Then, while he watched, Sasuke shoved her off and rose to his feet. With blood in his face and an only slightly swollen cheek, he looked down at Neji with evident dislike. The Uchiha really loathed him.

"Have fun dying." he said with no voice, sounding to Neji as if he were far away. The Uchiha spat next to him and spared him one last, loathing glance.

Then, like before, he vanished into thin air.

"...Ne-" he heard, and tried moving. He fell over and realized he couldn't move a muscle. He was completely numb. What was it with Sasuke and immobilization? Was he a coward? Or was he just the kind of person who did anything to achieve his goals?

"Neji?" he heard again. Sakura's voice was weak and trembling, and he imagined she was probably still paralysed by that electric jutsu. His Byakugan was of no help; it had already deactivated on its own. He had long since lost the feeling in his legs. To him, it felt like he was sitting on the edge of a steep cliff with his legs in the dark shadows below. Had Sasuke poisoned Sakura as well?

A shaky hand touched his shoulder and turned him so he could see the leaves above. There were no stars. Only black clouds loomed over them.

Then some faint light appeared, and he felt chakra ransack him in the search of something he couldn't quite remember. Some chakra stopped in his elbow, the rest in both of his legs.

"Stay... Stay conscious..." Sakura said, sounding as if she spoke to herself. Did she?

In what seemed like a blur to Neji, she removed some dark fluid from his body, calling it poison, then borrowed a kunai and some blood replenishment pills from him. She parted the pills and somehow split and separated the ingredients with the kunai, then shakily crushed the ingredients she wanted. Once having done that, she borrowed some of the few, old first-aid items he had. Using the strangest of ingredients, she made some kind of horribly bad-looking liquid.

Without asking, she used her chakra to force it into the the stinging wounds on his legs and his wrist. Then she made him drink some as well.

A sudden cliché-like sensation ran through him upon realizing he might survive after all. A few seconds later, the feeling was replaced by overwhelming shame. The damsel in distress, who was supposed to be saved by him just like usual, had just saved _him._ He desperately hoped that didn't make him something along the lines of _mansel in distress_, because if that ever happened, Hanabi would call him that for the rest of his life.

"Neji..." he heard her say, barely a whisper. She sounded frightened. Did she want him to say something? Comfort her?

"...Even if I get killed, I will _not_ simply _die._" he replied tiredly.  
What a horrible liar he was when he was light-headed.

* * *

-I-I-I-

It was 'only' a kiss to make Neji suffer. (ah, meaning it was not exactly rape) Sasuke underestimated Sakura again.

But Sakura really did get to punch Sasuke's jaw. That has got to hurt.


	23. Hospitality

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I wish I owned Naruto, and I also wish I owned One Piece. I also want to own a sugar floss machine...

This is the second last chapter, _I think._ The next chapter _may_ be the last one.  
Oh, and I made some art for this story. If you want to take a peek, there's a link to my DevArt page on my profile...

* * *

Hospitality

* * *

"No. _Not_ the hospital." Neji managed, his voice slurred. Sakura watched his eyes move randomly and slowly, and guessed his eyesight was also starting to get blurry.

"Why not?" she questioned, slightly annoyed. He needed more treatment for the poison.  
He didn't answer.

"_Why?_" she demanded, letting him hear the edge in her voice.

"...The... nurses." he replied with a frown on his face. Despite their rather serious situation, Sakura caught herself flashing a lopsided smile.

"They aren't dangerous." she said, quieter than usual. She just hoped Sasuke would stay away. Why had he been there at the hospital in the first place? His Chidori had paralyzed her, too. Whether she found it hard to move because of that jutsu, or if it was actually because of her lengthy stay in the world of nothingness, she didn't know. Perhaps both.

"I... just want to stay here, like this." he said, barely audible. Sakura didn't answer, she just let herself drop to the ground next to him.

The night air was still cold, and the shadows of the trees made everything even colder. Light fog shrouded the roots of the trees, which looked more blue than green and brown. The sun wouldn't rise for a while, but she was sure at least _someone_ was out training already. When she breathed, a small cloud slowly appeared above her. When she stopped breathing it faded again. To tell the truth, she just wanted to rest right there, too. But Neji needed help.

At any rate, she couldn't walk, much less support Neji or run somewhere for help. Perhaps she could try letting her chakra pulse until someone noticed.

But apparently, she wouldn't need that.

"I can see someone! The chakra we felt came from over there!"  
"What?" a clueless voice replied.  
"Do not worry! _We are coming!_" the first voice exclaimed. It was awfully familiar.

The second she saw something akin to sparkles in the distance, running towards them at breakneck speed while dodging trees, she recognized the green-clothed person. The well-worn spandex outfit was undoubtedly Lee's trademark. Right after Neji gave a groan of exasperation, and perhaps also humiliation, Tenten showed up as well.

* * *

Somehow, Sakura and Neji were both brought to the hospital. Each of them were put in different rooms, and none of the rooms had windows. The doors were sealed and and the rooms were guarded. Sakura was fine and ready to go, though, but Neji wasn't.

Judging from what she had heard, Tsunade was so angry Shizune was trying to hide from her to avoid her infamous outbursts of anger. The fact that Sasuke had read the Forbidden Scroll was not good at all. In addition to that, Sasuke had assaulted two of Konoha's ninjas. Sakura guessed Tsunade blamed herself. At the moment, she was probably telling herself that she should have taken the scroll with her instead of leaving it in the hospital, even though it _had_ been sealed properly. It would have been much easier to find it if she carried it around, but Sasuke had somehow found it anyway.

Sakura was currently outside the main entrance of the hospital. Tsunade had already fired questions at her until the sun rose, and then she had been dismissed. Now she was waiting for Neji.

In fact, she had been waiting for hours already. It was already noon.

She was sitting on a bench, leaning backwards and watching the clouds. A mental image of Shikamaru entered her mind, but drifted away with the clouds. Watching clouds wasn't so bad. There wasn't much else she could do, after all. But it _was_ getting boring.

"Sakura! Let's go!" someone exclaimed in a slightly hushed voice. She turned to see Neji running down the stairs in front of the hospital, still wearing hospital garments, but holding his own clothes in his arms.

"What-"  
"Before they catch up!" he interrupted and ran past her. She got up and chased him, determined to find out what was going on.

"Who? And shouldn't you be taking it easy?" she asked.  
"I was fine until those people came." he said, looking over his shoulder.

When Sakura turned, she saw a small group of girls wearing nurse clothes and carrying cameras. They were following Neji?

"I thought taking pictures of patients was illegal!" Neji said, obviously annoyed.  
"They-They aren't nurses. I haven't seen them here before..." she said as they used chakra to jump onto the closest roof.

"What? Then... are those nurse outfits only costumes?" he demanded. Swallowing to hold back her laughter, she flashed an apologetic smile and nodded hesitantly when he glanced at her.

"WAAAIT!"

"Never..." Neji stated, too silent for the chasing girls to hear.  
"What is wrong with me to make them follow me like this?!" he continued while gritting his teeth.

Well, he had long, silky hair, beautiful and pearly eyes, smooth skin, excellent ninja skills, and was usually polite and kind. He was not a womanizer, which made even more women long for him. He could be slightly arrogant at times, though, but that didn't matter much. And he was a genuis. To date the genuis of the Hyuuga clan _once_ would be a feat. Perhaps Sakura should try.

"Huh? Look ahead." she said, focusing on the next rooftop. A girl with a camera.  
"This can't be..." Neji started, then jumped down from the roof. Sakura hesitated, but followed him.

Using the stealth of a jounin, or actually an ANBU, Neji soundlessly slid into the valleys of the houses and disappeared in the shadows. He also concealed his chakra. Sakura tried doing the same, making sure that she wasn't being followed. It was a little hard not to get spotted, though, as she was quite pink. Not only her hair, but also her clothes, which Shizune had fetched for her. Neji should be easy to spot as well, with those white clothes from the hospital-

Wait.

Where did he go?

...Great. She had lost him. No, she hadn't lost him, _he_ had lost _her_. She would get him for this. Sakura stopped and looked around, only to find that the street was completely empty. Not even a woman waiting to ambush Neji with a camera. How much was a picture of Neji in hospital clothes worth? Frowning, she looked around again while searching for presences. Nothing. Where had he disappeared to?

Perhaps to his house. Slightly worried, but also a little annoyed, Sakura made her way to the Hyuuga compound.

It wasn't far away at all. As she passed by an old couple, she slowed down and greeted them before continuing. They looked important, somehow. Of some reason, they looked rather anxious when seeing her, but she didn't pay too much attention to it.

When she got close enough to Neji's house, she stopped dead. Those people were _there_ as well. They weren't that many, so how come they could move so fast? Still wearing the nurse uniforms, the fake nurses held their cameras ready. They didn't watch the house, though, but scouted the area around it. Neji wasn't there? Where else could he be?

At the same time as a small, tiny, puny idea of Neji being _in her apartment_ hit her, she jerked around and ran for it.

* * *

He felt ashamed, to say the least. He had already changed into his own clothes, and he had even paid a young genin to return the hospital garments to the hospital. At the time being, he was waiting for Sakura outside her apartment. That is, not outside the building, nor on the roof, but at her door. That way he also avoided those strangely skilled fan girls. Perhaps they were working in the paparazzi business.

That didn't matter. He had managed to get away from them. At the same time, however, he had managed to lose Sakura.

"Neji? Are you here?"

When he saw that it was Sakura, and not some random girl with an expensive looking camera, he relaxed considerably.

"Sakura. I'm sorry for losing you." he said, watching as she unlocked the door and gestured at him to follow.  
"No problem. Your house was surrounded, so..."

"I know, I went there first, but when I saw they were there... I went here." he said, then took off his sandals.

The place was different from the first time he was there. It was still white, but some of the black and red furniture had been replaced. She had a new sofa, among other things. Or, not _new_. It was actually the oldest sofa he had ever seen. It had once been pink, probably, but most of it looked gray or purplish. There were even a few holes in it, but he didn't get to count them all before Sakura covered it with a large blanket.

"Sorry if that hurt your eyes." she said sarcastically. He arched a brow at her, but then smirked.

After standing in silence for some long seconds, both eventually remembered when they had last been alone. Sasuke had rudely interrupted at the time, and things had worsened from there. None of them knew how to start over again. Neji figured he should do something, say something, anything. Should he sit down? Perhaps he could make a comment about the weather.

No! Not the weather. He could ask her out. That was a good idea. But... there were paparazzis outside. Watch a movie? ...Sakura didn't have a television. Nor did he, for that matter. They could eat something. But this was her house, and _he_ shouldn't ask her if she wanted something to eat in her _own_ house. He was starting to feel stupid. It felt like he had something ugly on his face that wouldn't go away.

"Do you want something to eat? And some tea?" Sakura offered, and Neji could only give a small, slow nod.  
"Um, bad home-made food or good take-away ramen?" she asked breathlessly, obviously feeling as stupid as he felt.

"...Whichever is fine." he said, watching her from where he stood.

"Then I think I'll go buy some ramen..." she said, relieved. Then she looked at him expectedly before glancing in the direction of the small kitchen she had.

"...I can make the tea while you are gone." he offered. She gave a hearty smile and nodded in approval.

In less than ten minutes, she bought ramen at the Ichiraku Ramen stand and returned. Neji made tea that was actually quite good, despite the fact that ramen and tea did not originally go together. The awkwardness between Sakura and Neji disappeared, and both talked eagerly about everything from paparazzi photographers to ninja affairs in other countries. Both avoided talking about Sasuke and whatever he planned next, and focused on more 'important' things, such as the favourite food of the other.

"Dango. It's sweet and tasty, and is a really good dessert that comes in many different flavors." Sakura said with determination.  
"I disagree. Warm chocolate conquers said dumplings." Neji countered.

"What? Why? Chokolate milk is good, yeah, but is it _that_ good?"  
"I do not drink it very often, so it is good, yes."

"What?" he demanded.  
"Have you tried drinking warm chocolate with marshmallows on top? Or with cream?"

"...No, because _I_ am not a glutton."  
"Are you saying _I_ am a glutton?" she asked, not truly insulted.

The hours passed so fast that Sakura was taken completely by surprise when she looked out one of the small windows and saw that the sun was already setting. Her surprise was followed by a remark from Neji about her super-small windows, and she countered with an unlikely remark about not wanting the sun to sting her eyes in the morning. Neji then offered to buy her sunglasses, which was rudely countered by Sakura when she said she wouldn't accept them even if he _did_ buy her a pair.

Before they knew it, evening was there.

"Do you think those stalkers are still out there?" Sakura asked. They had come to the conclusion that the girls following him were actually the same who had followed him on different occasions before, only this time they were better prepared.

"That does not matter. I have a plan this time." Neji replied.

Then he used a jutsu to change into a random person with Hyuuga eyes. He didn't look like himself at all. His now jet black hair was in a high ponytail, and he wore red and brown samurai gear. Sakura stared at him, dumbfounded. He looked like he was ten years older than the Neji she knew. Then again, that was what Transfomation jutsus were for.

"Doesn't that... look a little suspicious?" she asked discreetly.

"Not at all. I resemble my uncle on my mother's side. He always wears samurai clothes, and occasionally appears in the Hyuuga compound without warning anyone. He's a womanizer, so girls usually avoid him." Neji explained in a dark, rusty voice, which didn't match the face of the man at all. He was probably in his late twenties.

"That's scary." Sakura said, eyeing the old samurai equipment he wore. He carried a sword as well.  
"...Can I come anyway?" she added, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. She was rewarded with a smirk from Neji, who suddenly looked like the pervert samurai that was actually his uncle. No one would be able to tell it was Neji.

Thus they went to the Hyuuga compound, both in disguise. Sakura had changed into a 'distant relative' of Neji, whose current name was Shansui. That meant _'beautiful sour'._ The name alone was enough to give Sakura problems holding back her smile when different Hyuugas greeted him. Neji was also amused, but managed to keep a straight face.

Speaking of which, there were more Hyuugas around than usual. Perhaps they were looking for him. Or perhaps they were stalkers disguised as Hyuugas.

"Shan_sui_!" That was the only warning he got before seeing something in the corner of an eye. Not to reveal himself, he pulled his sword, then turned and used its back to to defend himself as a kick came in his direction. He successfully blocked the attack.

"Ha-Hanabi... san!" Neji said, his voice still old and rusty.  
"Did I startle you?" the young girl asked confidently.

Neji relaxed and put the sword back where it belonged, hoping she hadn't noticed his practically non-existent sword skills. She didn't seem to notice, though, to Neji's relief.

"Who is that?" Hanabi asked, watching Sakura in her temporary male form. In contrast to Neji's high ponytail, she had very short, dark brown hair. Her eyes were as similar to the Byakugan as she could possibly get them.

"This is my friend and distant relative from the war almost two decades ago, against the Kyuubi!" Neji explained. Hanabi squinted at Sakura, but quickly turned back to Neji.

"Why are you here, Shan_sui_? Neji isn't here. You're his uncle, right?"

"...Then, I'll wait in his house. He won't mind." Neji said in the informal way of his uncle and turned away. Ignoring Hanabi's annoyed row of questions and accusations, he walked out of there using proud strides. He did not get to walk out on Hanabi too often. Besides, with his chakra concealed, they wouldn't know it was him.

"-then, why are you hiding your chakra?" Hanabi finished.  
"...I want to surprise Neji!" Neji replied.

"He won't like it." Hanabi said, smirking. Neji arched a brow. That wasn't true. He liked testing his skills against the older relative of his.

In the background, people slowly began to scatter after hearing Hanabi say Neji wasn't around. Personally, he hoped they wouldn't return for a while. If they were the photographers from before, that is.

Things were working out fine. He would be able to get home without being spotted, Sasuke would most likely never return to the 'useless Konoha', as he had dubbed it, and Neji and Sakura could move on without being disturbed.

Once they were at his house, Sakura said goodbye in a rather formal way so she wouldn't look suspicious. After also bidding farewell in a way that would suit a samurai, albeit a rude samurai like his uncle, Neji watched Sakura leave. Once she was out of sight he retreated inside, his confidence higher than ever.

No hospitals, nurses, missions, criminals or photographers were there to ruin things again.

* * *

-I-I-I-

Ah, no cliffhanger. Next chapter will be the last one, I think.


	24. Shared Sanctuary

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Warning... There'll be some small time skips in here :)  
Let some _lurve_ ensue... (my present to you, my dear reviewers and lovely readers ;D ) TEH LAST CHAPPIEH!1!1!1!

* * *

Shared Sanctuaries

* * *

Some years back, Neji would never have been able to picture himself holding hands with anybody at all. That was not the case at the moment. He had never felt more comfortable. His and Sakura's hands were linked, and her lower arm rested against his lightly. Despite that, he caught himself in the act when friends of theirs passed by: He _did_ stiffen slightly. However, he did not let go, nor even loosen his grip.

He tightened his grip instead. In turn, Sakura squeezed his reassuringly.

Until now, they had met Lee and Tenten, Tsunade, Kakashi and some of the other teachers. They had also been rudely tackled by Ino from behind, while Shikamaru and Chouji were watching from a distance. Then the fangirls showed up. Needless to say, they had been shocked. They did not go mad, like Sakura had believed they might, but rather continued showing their horror until Neji and Sakura had passed. Whether they were plotting something or crying somewhere, they would probably find out later.

The only ones who had yet to see them together were Naruto, Kiba, Shino and Hinata. Neji guessed he and Sakura were in for some entertainment from those later on.

"Neji..." Sakura started, looking at him curiously, with that smart smile of hers.  
"Hm?"

"When did you start liking me?" she asked, and a faint blush decorated her cheeks as she looked at him with an expression that almost looked apologetic.

What could he say? That was difficult to answer.  
"...You were an important person to me since we met. As for when my affections for you started growing... Most likely... They grew without me noticing, until the day you returned to Konoha after that mission of yours." he said in a wondering voice, narrowing his eyes while pondering her question some more.

"And you?" he added, eyeing her with a visible smirk. She slowly made a thoughtful pout and demonstratively tapped a finger on her chin while walking next to him.

"I viewed you as a friend, more or less... But even though I didn't think much about it, you always paid more attention to me than, say, Sasuke. You cared more, if only a little. That eventually melted my heart, Coffee-hair." she said, searching his eyes to see if he was fine with her explanation. He looked back, letting her olivine eyes blind him inside.

"I convey my gratitude for those words, Salmon-head."  
"...What?! You! My hair is pink, not salmon-colored!" she retorted, glaring at him while struggling to hide her obvious mirth.

"Ah, I apologize. How about... Rose? No... Flamingo."  
"Be quiet, Mud-Scalp."

Both of them stopped walking. Did she just call him _mud-scalp_?

"...Seastar-Head."  
"Um... Brown-Spaghetti-Hair." she managed, looking confident.

"Wig."  
"Super-long-and-thin-spider-legs-hair."  
"...That was bad. Your poor creativity is disappointing."

"Quiet!"  
"Don't worry. If you admit that your fantasy is poor, I can teach you some new words, Pastel Marshmallow."

"Not happening, Chocolate Substitute."

* * *

A week later, Konoha sounded much noisier than usual. Or actually it had been quiet all week, but the noise was currently returning to its _normal_ level. In other words, certain ninjas were back.

Sakura and Neji had just finished training, and both stayed quiet in anticipation. What would Naruto say about the two of them being together? Would he be sad, or would he be happy for her? Sakura hoped he didn't view her as anything else than a good friend. If he did, she wasn't sure what to do.

The noise was approaching the training grounds, where the two of them were resting under a tree. The sun had taken its toll on them; they were exhausted and drained to their limit. Sakura felt her thirst growing by the minute. Then clouds of dust raced towards them at speed high enough to compete with that of the Hokage, and before they knew it, an orange-clad ninja with yellow hair stood before them with a worried frown.

"H-Hi, Naruto..." Sakura tried, then got to her feet.

"Sakura-chan! I was really worried! I had to go on a mission, and then you just had to go and wake up when I was away! Then that Sasuke-jerk hurt your feelings again, didn't he?! I'll kick his ass, dammit!" Naruto exclaimed, waving a fist while squinting at it.

"I'm okay, thanks to Neji..." she said, and Naruto turned his head until he looked straight down at the sitting Hyuuga. Neji kept his calm.

"Oh, and I heard about you two as well. Good luck. I'm not good at that kind of stuff, though, so I'll just say this: Be happy from now on, Sakura." Naruto said, scrutinizing her eyes with his brilliant blue ones to see if he'd said the right thing. He had even dropped the honorific.

"...Thanks, Naruto." she said, flashing a genuine, warm smile.

Satisfied, Naruto turned to Neji, who finally stood. The two men looked at each other, Neji as if nothing was wrong, and Naruto as if he was trying to solve a some sort of problem. Sakura glanced between the two of them.

"You better treat her well, or I'll throw you out of Konoha the second I become Hokage." Naruto warned. Neji smirked and gave a short nod. "Yeah."  
Then, after three eerily silent seconds, Naruto was punched approximately hundred feet and hit a nicely placed tree, breaking it in half. The one guilty was Kiba.

"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, NARUTO?! Just running away without us like that, dammit!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Behind him came a flustered Hinata, muttering concerned words for Naruto, then Shino, who didn't seem to mind the current situation at all. His hands were in his pockets and he didn't hurry the slightest to get over there.

"AH! Damn you, Kiba-idiot!" Naruto replied once he had gotten to his legs. He then came running back, his hands clenched and ready to punch.

"Naruto-kun... Are you all right? ...Ah, Neji-kun, Sakura-san! Congratulations..." Hinata said, still flustered and uneasy as she glanced back at Naruto.

"My condolences." Shino said, and Sakura and Neji both gave strained smiles. Needless to say, the smiles were false, and obviously so.  
"Likewise, Shino-kun... considering you had those two on your team." Sakura said in a stiff voice, referring to Kiba and Naruto.

Then, unsurprisingly, Naruto charged at Kiba. In turn, he was tackled by Akamaru. Chaos ensued between the three of them. For Neji and Sakura, however, things had gone far better than they had hoped for. The situation was settling down.

* * *

"It's raining." Neji commented, looking out of his window. He held a cup of tea in one hand, and the other held the window curtains aside. It was so dark outside that the only way to tell that it was raining was to listen. No drops got far enough to touch the window, though, because the roof of Neji's house extended enough to protect both the glass and the wooden porch right outside.

"...Wait. I take that back. It is more like a waterfall." Neji added after taking a sip of his tea.

"Or as Lee said earlier, 'the sky is crying, causing a flood of sorrow for the equally weeping earth to feed on'." Sakura continued, sitting at the kotatsu table. She had taken quite the liking to it during the last couple of weeks. Her cup of tea was almost empty.

"Wait here..." Neji said, then placed his cup on the table and returned to the large glass windows of his. After opening the partially hidden glass door, he stepped outside, onto the narrow, bridge-like veranda that circled his house. His feet remained dry.

For several minutes, he just stood still. Meanwhile Sakura finished her tea and placed both his cup and hers at the sink. The glass door was still open, and cold wind entered the room. Sakura frowned when she felt the air cool down her feet. Wasn't he coming inside? Watching him for some long seconds, ideas formed in her mind. Several different ideas at that. She could, for instance, fetch a blanket and put it over his shoulders, or make more tea. But none of those options were too tempting.

"Neji..." she tried, then walked closer without a sound.

"Hm?" he said, almost sounding drowsy.

Sakura smirked and jumped at him from behind. The second she was on his back, he toppled forward and into the rain, off the small wooden porch. Both landed in the overly wet grass. Even though it was short and recently cut, if left both of them wet. Neji was left wetter than her, though, and she rolled of him and got on her legs. However, the rain hadn't only left the grass wet, but also very muddy. With a sinister glare as his only warning, Neji got to his feet and charged after Sakura. She followed the path in his garden until she came to the weeping willow that she had grown so used to the last period of time. It still towered above the small pond with golden fishes. Her bare feet were cold and soaked, but that didn't matter at all.

Hearing Neji right behind her, she sidestepped and made her way under the weeping willow. Certain that he had seen her, she rested against the trunk of the tree and peeked out from behind to see when he came. Neji was nowhere to be seen. A sudden push to her shoulder made her stumble away from the tree, and she reached for the branches for support. Before she managed to grab them, however, the muddy grass made her slip. The second she landed on her stomach, the cold water ran through her clothes and to her skin, making her shudder. Her usual pink top, her beige skirt and her black shorts were soaked.

"Now you know how I felt back there." Neji said, his voice slightly shaky due to his previous meeting with the mud.

"Haa..." Sakura managed in a shaky voice, then sat up and faced him. He looked down at her with crossed arms and victory in his eyes.

Without warning she kicked his feet so he fell again. His white clothes were already brown and slightly green from his contact with the ground. Neji muttered some insults under his breath and supported himself with a hand. Just as Sakura tried to get to her feet, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her closer to him. Needless to say, that only made her even dirtier. She avoided using chakra, because if she did, Neji would surely use his Hyuuga jutsus to temporarily disable her ability to move at all.

Once she was close enough to him, he let go of her ankle and took hold of her shoulders. After then shoving her down to the ground again, he looked down at her with an unreadable expression. Sakura held onto his upper arms and tried her best to ignore the freezing sensation of water against her back. His hair fell from his shoulders and onto her, and stray strands made her blink. The dark brown tresses shifted every time he moved a little, and blended with the tall grass circling her.

Then he lowered until the distance between them closed and he rested on top of her. He moved his hands from her shoulders to the ground, giving her room to move. Replying by moving her arms around his back, Sakura watched as Neji lowered to her neck and inhaled slowly. Whether he could catch her scent through the smell of mud, she didn't know, but either way he started tracing her neck. Once he was at her jaw, he raised his head and searched her face with half-open silver eyes.

Her arms tightened around him as their lips met.

He let his full weight onto her while he once more moved his arms. Not letting her escape his lips, his hands made their way under her shirt, just enough for him to touch her warm skin. Feeling his cold touch, she gasped through her nose and arched up, giving Neji's arms just enough room to slide around her. With one hand at her back, he let the other continue up her neck and stop at the back of her head, leaving her hair ruffled. She felt him break the kiss for a split second to catch his breath, then he returned with full force and deepened the kiss. His warmth was such a contrast to the cold ground that she caught herself trying to pull closer to him than she already was.

As they once again broke apart to breathe, she moved both arms to the ground and shoved both of them up into a sitting position, then shoved Neji down. She was on top for only some seconds before he rolled her over, and she countered by doing the same, which left her straddling him. He smirked, then pushed himself up. Instead of falling to the ground, Sakura felt a hard surface against her back that could only be the trunk of the tree. She no longer straddled him; he had her against the weeping willow. He moved his arms to the tree trunk and used it to pull himself closer to Sakura as their lips met.

Soon they were cold, muddy and soaked to their skin, but they didn't mind the slightest.

* * *

They had considered themselves a couple for two months, but they had known each other more or less since childhood. Already, they could joke around and mock each other without the other getting angry. They had yet to have a real argument, which would most likely not occur in a while yet. When it did, however, they were ready for it. As days passed, they got more comfortable around each other, and spent more time together. Also, they often stayed over at each other's houses from time to time. They were at Neji's place most of the time, 'because of the beautiful garden', according to Sakura.

Of course, missions were given them occasionally. The longest time they had spent away from each other was one week and three days, according to Neji. Despite certain discreet comments about 'obsessiveness' from friends, they managed perfectly.

Neji had recently returned from a demanding ANBU mission, which had left him completely exhausted, thus letting Sakura try out her skills as a 'housewife'. She tended to his house and made food. Despite her earlier claims to be a horrible cook, she did well. After borrowing some recipes from her mother, she had improved. Also, as long as she made simple food with even simpler descriptions including _'add some cup of water and wait for so and so many minutes'_, or anything similar, the food she made was good. Neji's ultimate favorite, however, was warm chocolate. Once she added cream, and perhaps some marshmallows to it, he had become even more addicted. At one point he had demanded to exchange all of his famous tea with the cheap chocolate, but Sakura refused.

After he healed he came to his senses.

Fortunately, Hanabi hadn't bothered them too much even after finding out they were together. Neji suspected the Elders had told the Clan Head of Sakura, and that Hiashi had then told his daughter. Rumors about Sakura's strength were spreading. Hiashi had even asked Neji in private, though extremely carefully and discreetly, when he intended to marry Sakura. That had almost made Neji choke on his tea, but a quick decision to hold his breath saved him. Neji knew very well that not many ninjas grew old, and that early marriages were common. His father had married his mother when he was a little younger than Neji was currently.

* * *

"What is it?"

Sakura looked at him expectedly, her peridot eyes shining enough to blind and melt even the coldest of people. Neji was no exception. The hearty smile she currently wore was contagious. Neji found himself unable to stop his smirk from growing into a lopsided smile, and frowned in annoyance at his inability to stop his emotions from showing.

Both of them were taking part in a celebration for Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga Clan, and his wife. They had been married for twenty years, which was quite an achievement. In fact, for a ninja, such a feat was nearly impossible. For the occasion, Sakura had asked Hinata for suggestions as to what she should wear. Hinata had told her a simple yukata would do, but a kimono would make a really good impression with the old-school Elders. Sakura barely knew the difference between the two, so Hinata offered to help her.

Therefore she currently wore a brand new, yet simple and white yukata. The hemline and the arms were decorated by pink flowers so small they looked more like spots from a distance. She did not wear an expensive and superb-looking kimono, but she was still beautiful enough to leave others than only Neji breathless. His perverted samurai uncle was there as well(the real one this time), and he was the one among the men who seemed to be the most infatuated. This made Neji stay close to Sakura during the entire celebration, even though he knew she could fend for herself.

"I just wondered about something." he said.

They were in the Hiashi's grand garden. Needless to say, it was so well cared for that it looked more like an illusion. The pink flowers of the many cherry trees were illuminated by lamps directed at the them. The white tiles that formed the many paths were similar to the ones in Neji's garden. A fountain was in the middle of the garden. To tell the truth, that only made Neji more uncomfortable. In the presence of all the beautiful flowers, decoration and the stunning garden itself, not to mention the ruthless beauty of Sakura, he felt like an ant. His own formal yukata, blue with no patterns or marks, felt unfit and not proper.

"What?" Sakura asked, then stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes with her olivine orbs. Why was it that the color of her eyes changed with the light and made her more beautiful every time he looked into them? Foolish eyes. Ruthless eyes. Gorgeous.

_His._

"I love you, so you need to marry me." he stated before realizing it. Her eyes widened and she stared at him, completely dumbstruck.

"That... wasn't very... romantic..." she said while gritting her teeth. Her eyebrows were twitching, either in mirth or annoyance. Judging from countless stories he had heard, he guessed the latter was correct. In that case, he needed to say something to make up for it.

..._Heck._ Even her flaws were beautiful.  
Absolutely. Stupid and ruthless and lovely and ravishing. He was losing himself. How stupid. Stupid ant.

"If you say yes... I will make sure our wedding is recorded in the history books as the most memorable that has ever occurred. I personally assure you that all of your friends will envy you for the rest of your live. Furthermore, I assure you that this marriage will give Sasuke a mental kick in the ass."

"...I love you too." she said.

* * *

-I-I-I-

**-HEART-**


End file.
